Summary
Researchers from Cardiff University tested AI technologies called "deathbots" that use a deceased person's digital records to create interactive chatbots. These technologies are becoming popular in the digital afterlife industry, although they are not yet widely used. The study found these AI tools intriguing but limited by current technical abilities.
Key Facts
- "Deathbots" are AI programs that create chatbots using a deceased person's text messages, emails, and voice notes.
- These technologies are part of a growing "digital afterlife" industry worth over £100 billion.
- Dr. Jenny Kidd from Cardiff University led a study on deathbots, publishing results in a journal from Cambridge University Press.
- The study explores how AI can imitate voices and personalities of the deceased but highlights technical limitations.
- Researchers found interactions with these chatbots unsatisfying due to current platform limitations.
- Deathbots are viewed as potentially comforting, but they cannot fully replace human processing of grief.
- The use of AI in recreating digital memories gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic when people animated old photos of relatives.
- There is skepticism about whether deathbots will become widely popular, as traditional ways of dealing with death are still prevalent.
