Will AI allow our loved ones to “live on” in a sense?

[rootabaga]

Part of an email I received this morning included the following bit:

Silicon Valley codes a new grieving process​ ​

The Future. Several AI companies are marketing services that hope to make grieving a thing of the past. These AI-powered recreations of loved ones may have the power to provide a psychological cushion for those spiraling from loss, but they could also become a crutch for people looking simply for comfort, not closure.​

Broken heart bot Grieving the loss of a loved one is hard… so some AI firms are trying to ease the pain, per Vox.​

“Grief tech” startups like Replika, StoryFile, Seance AI, and HereAfter AI provide services, such as the creation of virtual avatars of loved ones and interactive video conversations. These “companions” provide grievers something they can talk to whenever they miss their lost loved one — giving them a gentler way to let go. While some have found these services comforting, others have been hit with unannounced updates that totally break the illusion — a phenomenon that could be retraumatizing.

Grief counselors warn that the rise of grief tech could make people reliant on these tools to cope or, worse, avoid the natural human process of grieving altogether. Could the ambition to optimize grief simply postpone the process, prolonging our psychological need for closure?​

Whether or not that’s a good thing may be a deeper question about the role death plays in society.​

Although thinking about it, it makes sense as part of the AI evolution; after all, Carrie Fisher was in the last Star Wars film via CG, so couple that with some AI modeling/sampling and you could talk with her anytime you like.

I’m rather disturbed by this use of AI, though it’s novel enough that I’m still reflecting on it all.

Since our name change suggests we’re all about early tech adopters, this seems a good place to discuss it.

So what thoughts do you all have?

 

[Rob]

This is fascinating!

I followed an NFT Project that promised something similar. Basically you could create a "pod" of yourself that could live on. The more you communicate, the better it learns you, and essentially you built an avatar that lives on long past your death.

In reality, with enough content, people will be able to recreate "avatars" of people whether they like it or not. Just dump a ton of data (the more the better) into the AI model and BOOM- you've got a virtual character.

At the most basic level, I liken it to the "Turning Hearts Gravestone" commercial I've seen all over the place lately; essentially a QR code you attach to a loved one's gravestone that open video memories on your browser.

The "character" recreation will be a big business, not just for real people, but for fictional characters at AI swarms the entertainment industry. Consider Character.AI for example:

character.ai | Personalized AI for every moment of your day

Meet AIs that feel alive. Chat with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Experience the power of super-intelligent chat bots that hear you, understand you, and remember you.

beta.character.ai

And then there's the extreme futuristic case, like the Amazon series "Upload", where after you're dead they can upload your soul into the virtual world to continue living a hellish version of heaven. Love the show and worth a watch (especially Season 1).

I hadn't considered the potential drawback of a grieving person becoming addicted to communicating with a relative that's passed... that's such an interesting perspective. We're so early into the AI revolution that the upsides and downsides will be hard to predict. The impact from a lifestyle and culture perspective will be 100X what mobile tech has brought in the last 15 years.

When thinking about a person grieving the loss of a loved one, I can't help but think about the movie "Inception". In that movie, the main character uses induced dreams to revisit loved ones lost... replace the dreams with VR and it's not much different. Incredibly powerful opportunity with potentially devastating effects.

 

[olbriar]

I'm not sure that the natural process of grieving a loved one's loss should be messed with. I have vivid memories of lost loved ones and strive to keep those memories. I guess that most everyone deals with a loss in a similar manner. The memories remain but over time they are revisited less frequently. Living in the past can't be healthy long term. Being remembered is one thing, not letting go is another.

 

[Steven58]

As someone who's lost a wife to Cancer? I can tell you this is a TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE IDEA. You know who it's going to benefit? Not those of us who grieve, but it will benefit the pockets of entrepreneurs who couldn't care less to whom they make money off of. Seared consciences. God forgive them.

You may find my reaction over the top, but having been a widower (I am remarried and have a baby who will be one year old in two days!) I have the right to make this judgement. Period. I'm sticking to that.

 

[ocnbrze]

this idea just sounds creepy to me. i agree that grieving is a natural process and should not be messed with. you would be better off seeking help if the grieving is too much. but not letting go of someone is not a healthy thing to do.

and as the Beatles' song says you need to "Live and Let Die"

 

[Hadron]

If silicon valley is involved you know it's only a matter of time before the "avatar" starts to act as a "personalised marketing tool"...

 

[nickdalzell]

And people wonder why I fear the future and want to live in the past

 

[Bearsyzf]

AI is going to ruin this World.... i said it and mean it .

 

[PitCarver]

I saw somewhere that the family of Jimmy Stewart had licenced his voice for a program that is supposed to help folks to sleep. Something based on the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life". I'm ond enough to remember Jimmy Stewart's voice and the AI fell far short on this one.

 

[Bearsyzf]

I can hear his voice in my head now lol

 

[nickdalzell]

AI is going to ruin this World.... i said it and mean it .

Many a dystopian science fiction novel/movie has warned us, the problem is that many use them as a guide for the future.'

Many of the things on the World Economic Forum's website gets me scared to live past the year 2030, if that's the world they have planned for us.

I suppose I'm a hypocrite though as I've been using S-voice since the Galaxy SIII and Bixby since the Galaxy S8, and Google Assistant in the house.

Didn't the video game Portal 2 protray what happened to a specific character who got put into a computer and essentially became GLaDOS? That was in 2011.