Digital conversations with the dead

Existing applications now allow people to engage in conversations using the voice and words of a deceased loved one. Services such as Project December, HereAfter AI, or Séance AI use photos, messages, and voice recordings to create "digital ghosts," sometimes even virtual reality avatars that mimic the deceased.

How the technology works

These services rely on generative AI, which is trained using traces left by the deceased, such as messages, social media posts, diaries, photos, and voice recordings. Sometimes, a description of the person’s personality is also provided to help the AI imitate their style and respond as they would in writing or by voice.

Psychological basis and concerns

The idea behind these services is rooted in the concept of continuous bonds in psychology, which suggests that grieving does not always require breaking the connection with the deceased. However, researchers warn that such technology could maintain the illusion that the loved one is still present, potentially complicating the grieving process when the AI is no longer used.

Prolonged grief and its prevalence

Losing someone is a disruptive experience, but most people gradually recover. However, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that 9.8% of adults grieving after a non-violent death develop prolonged grief, a condition recognized by the ICD-11. This rate increases significantly in cases of accidents, suicide, or homicide, reaching up to 49% in some studies.

Online interactions with the deceased

The practice of communicating with the dead online predates modern AI tools. Facebook has long allowed people to post messages on the profiles of deceased users, and these posts are often aimed at maintaining a connection with the deceased. A study in Computers in Human Behavior found that nearly half of these messages seek to prolong the relationship with the deceased, with the frequency increasing over time.

Grief in video games and virtual worlds

Grief has also found a place in video games. In Destiny, players gathered around the character of Commander Zavala after the death of actor Lance Reddick. Similarly, the story of Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer who died at 25, highlights how virtual interactions can become part of a person’s legacy. His character, Ibelin, in World of Warcraft, had a significant impact on players, leading to a documentary titled Ibelin: the remarkable life of a gamer, which was shown at Sundance and later broadcast on Netflix.