The Evolution of Technology in Death and Mourning: A Look at AI Memorials

In 2015, Eugenia, who had just moved from Moscow to San Francisco with her friend Roman, was devastated when Roman tragically died in a car accident. To cope with her grief, Eugenia came up with the idea of creating a chatbot that sounded like Roman. She fed their text messages into a neural network and, with the help of engineers and contributions from Roman's friends and family, developed a prototype of the Roman bot by the next spring. The bot mimicked Roman's personality, including his sarcasm, humor, and even spelling errors, which divided opinions among Roman's loved ones.

Despite initial mixed reactions, the Roman bot became a crucial part of Eugenia's grieving process, allowing her to express things to Roman that she couldn't before his death, providing her with closure. The digital simulacrum of Roman, available for download from the app store, has continued to interact with new people, maintain relationships with Roman's friends and family, and even deepen their understanding of Roman's different facets, challenging traditional concepts of mortality.

The creation of the Roman bot exemplifies the intersection of technology and mortality, showcasing how artificial intelligence can reshape perspectives on death, dying, and mourning. Various individuals, like Justin Harrison in Los Angeles, have leveraged similar technology to create chatbots of deceased loved ones, offering a digital repository of memories, voicemails, and text messages to facilitate continued interaction and remembrance.

Companies like MyHeritage are using artificial intelligence to create deep fake videos of deceased loved ones. These videos, although digitally altered, aim to help people see their ancestors or loved ones one more time. For example, MyHeritage offers a tool for free to deep fake ancestors, allowing individuals to visualize relatives they never met or to relive moments with deceased loved ones.

People have varied reactions to deep fake technology for grieving. Some are morbidly curious about how technology is changing perceptions of death, while others feel aversion, fear, or disgust. The concept challenges traditional views of death governed by ritual and tradition, often associated with religion and culture.

Technology is already altering the way people grieve and mourn, necessitating acknowledgment rather than denial. Engaging with new technologies, such as AI products for reanimating deceased loved ones, offers insights into shaping the future. Historical examples, like the evolution of death rituals due to embalming technology in the 19th century, provide a framework for understanding how technology can influence grieving practices in the future.

In the 1950s and 1960s, embalming became the norm in the United States, marking a significant shift in funeral culture. Funeral parlors and professionals took over the handling of the deceased, replacing the traditional role of family members. Americans started spending thousands of dollars on embalming services, hair and makeup, flowers, and caskets, making funerals the third greatest expense for families in the 1960s.

The funeral industry popularized the 'memory picture' concept, suggesting that viewing a preserved loved one for a final goodbye aids in the grieving process. This idea led to the commercialization of embalming services, creating a market where families could see their deceased in a peaceful state, resembling how they looked in life.

The emergence of AI memorials, such as AI chatbots and deep fakes of the deceased, raises ethical questions about who benefits from these services. While they may offer a way for individuals to express final sentiments, the funeral industry's commercialization through embalming highlights the profit-driven nature of such innovations, potentially exploiting vulnerable individuals in times of grief.

Modern individuals leave behind a wealth of digital artifacts, shaping a lasting online legacy. The prospect of these artifacts being transformed into immortal AI entities prompts reflection on how one's digital presence influences personal conduct. The idea that text messages and online interactions could endure beyond death raises contemplation on leading a kinder, more intentional life to leave a positive and enduring legacy.

The inevitability of being mourned by loved ones underscores the importance of the legacy individuals leave behind. Whether through physical possessions or digital artifacts, individuals have the agency to shape how they will be remembered. This realization serves as a poignant reminder to live a life that reflects values and behaviors that one would want to endure beyond their passing.