Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ AI “deathbots” are helping people in China grieve

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

"AI-generated avatars that look and sound like deceased relatives are increasingly popular to console those in mourning, or to hide the deaths of loved ones from the elderly and young children," Viola Zhou reports. What's interesting is the variety of reasons people want the avatars - not just for remembrance, but also to hide the death of relatives from young children. Also: "Lin hopes the bot will become his immortal doppelgänger, speaking on his behalf after his death. 'If my descendants ask 'What was Grandpa Lin Zhi like?' they could just talk to the AI version of myself to find out.'" It's not immortality, exactly; it's more like publishing an interactive autobiography. I need to get around to setting my own up.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 12:43 a.m.

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