Losing a loved one is one of the most terrible pains we can suffer. Sometimes going through grief is like entering hell. The suffering, absence and sadness are so great that we would like to turn back the hands of the clock.
When we miss that person, we can find some comfort by looking at their photos or re-watching their videos. But now Artificial Intelligence opens a new possibility: digital resurrection; that is, interacting with a digital clone that looks and talks like the deceased person.
The great promise: maintaining the relationship beyond death
There are already companies that challenge death as a definitive fact that implies having to say goodbye to our loved ones and learn to live without them. In this “brave” new world, death is not so conclusive.
Technology companies from China and the United States offer (take advantage of?) those mourning the loss of a loved one the possibility of creating a digital double with which they can continue interacting.
Basically, they collect the historical information of the deceased person, such as their photographs, videos and audio to reproduce their image, voice and behavior using Artificial Intelligence. In practice, they create a digital replica of the loved one with whom we can talk as through a video call, achieving very realistic results.
“Death ends life, but the relationship can continue” would be a good slogan for companies that offer the possibility of making an avatar of the deceased person or creating one during life to leave as an “inheritance” to children, partner or someone else.
Chinese Artificial Intelligence company Super Brain, for example, has already completed more than 1,000 digital resurrection orders. Most of its users have a strong desire to “see” their loved ones again. In some cases these are families who have lost their only child or people who have lost their partner of many years. They all share something in common: they cannot overcome the pain of loss and seek solace among the bytes.
Does a digital clone really help you overcome grief?
In one of the first episodes of Black Mirror, a young, grieving widow reconnects with her deceased boyfriend using an app that tracks his social media history to mimic his language, humor, and personality. At first she finds comfort, but then things go wrong, dragging her on an emotional roller coaster.
In theory, interacting with a digital double of the deceased person should alleviate the pain and suffering caused by death. However, its benefits are not so clear. In some cases, this technology can be comforting and can really help people say goodbye, especially when an unexpected death has occurred.
In fact, in Psychology there is the “empty chair” technique in which the patient is asked to imagine that the person who has died or with whom they no longer have contact is sitting in that place. Then he must tell that person everything he wants to free himself from repressed emotions, guilt and regrets.
This technique has a profound cathartic effect and helps people turn over a new leaf. However, it is not the same as having the opportunity to establish increasingly realistic and natural interactions with a person who is very similar to the one who left us, especially at a time when we are extremely emotionally vulnerable since we do not want to accept their absence.
Such an immersive experience, added to the rejection of death, can make us become “addicted” to that virtual world since it is where we only find comfort. The real world simply seems too cruel to us. In the long run, this may impede the natural goodbye process. Instead of encouraging healthy coping mechanisms, these types of technologies could lead to complicated grief and hinder emotional healing .
Is digital resurrection ethical?
The digital resurrection of deceased loved ones is already becoming a reality, but there are still no laws that regulate it or protect people’s privacy after their death. Last year, Harvard Law School researcher Masaki Iwasaki explored the level of acceptance of digital resurrection.
He found that 58% thought it was acceptable only if the person had previously given consent. However, 59% of respondents did not agree with their own digital resurrection and around 40% did not find any type of digital cloning acceptable, even with express consent.
However, we must remember that human opinions change greatly and often dance to the tune of propaganda and advertising.
In fact, regardless of the desire of the deceased, it would also be necessary to assess the ethics or convenience of leaving this type of “inheritance” to those who survive. Could it help them or, conversely, pressure them to establish a potentially harmful interaction with a machine?
Because, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that we do not forget that it is a machine. Therefore, no matter how much it looks like our loved one or has the same tone of voice, it is not. We are all unique and irreplaceable.
Although the idea of using Artificial Intelligence to talk to those who are no longer with us may be motivated by a genuine desire to provide comfort, we cannot ignore its psychological and ethical consequences.
In the long run, the digital resurrection is likely to do more harm than good and will only serve to postpone a grieving process that will inevitably come when we realize that this digital double is not the person we loved so much.
The potential for misuse of this technology and the risk of emotional manipulation may contribute to a dystopian future in which Artificial Intelligence attempts to replace the irreplaceable. And just because we can do some things, doesn’t mean we should do them.
Particularly, I prefer that life takes its course. I prefer to face events when and how they come. Nurturing false illusions and seeking digital consolations is not on my horizon. But as always happens, everyone will have to make their decision when the time comes.
References:
Shumei, L. & Lanlan, H. (2024) Bringing back deceased beloved ones through AI technology becomes a new, controversial business in China as ‘era of digital humans’ approaches. In: Global Times.
Iwasaki, M. (2023) Digital Cloning of the Dead: Exploring the Optimal Default Rule. Asian Journal of Law and Economics; 10.1515.
Sherlock, A. (2013) Larger Than Life: Digital Resurrection and the Re-Enchantment of Society. The Information Society; 29(3): 164-176.
Haneman, V. J. (2021) Digital Resurrection. SSRN: 3995687.
