In our last episode, we covered the current and prospective state of simulating the personality of a deceased loved one through AI. Be sure to start there for the full picture -    • AI "Resurrection" of the Dead - Are L...  

Technology is moving fast, and this possibility is becoming a reality right before our eyes. Could it actually help with the grieving process? Speaking with a loved one evokes a significant emotional response. Being able to do so after their death will certainly affect the grieving process in ways we're only beginning to understand.

It may sound creepy to communicate with a deceased person - even as a simulation. But what if it provides solace to loved ones? Think of it as a high-tech version of a scrapbook, or of leaving letters for your children to read after you die. It's easier to contemplate death when you know you will live in the hearts and text messages of people who love you. But if the bereaved had an eternal life simulation of you, it might be harder for them to move on.

"My fear is that it will become more like an addiction," said Elizabeth Tolliver, an assistant professor of counseling at the University of Nebraska Omaha, who researches grieving. “I'm concerned that people would want more and more of the technology to feel closer to the person that they've lost rather than living the life they're currently alive in.”

Andrea Warnick, a Toronto grief counselor and thanatologist, examines the scientific, psychological, and social aspects of death. She sees a possible therapeutic application for digital-afterlife technology in its ability to promote dialogues about the departed within their network of bereaved friends and relatives. A simulated loved one's most important characteristic may be its ability to create the illusion that they are listening to us.

In this way, a simulation can provide space for the bereaved to express their thoughts and feelings about their loved one, both privately and publicly. This could help normalize conversations about death and the depth of grief over time.

But what about the rights of the deceased? If you refused permission to mine your data, would simulation be a violation of your privacy after death? You cannot object after the fact if you are dead, but your heirs could do so.

A famous literary simulation, the Dixie Flatliner in William Gibson's Neuromancer, wanted only to be erased after he completed his final mission. Will we enact laws to address the issue? In the same way that people today may inquire whether a person wishes to be buried, the rituals surrounding death will be altered by this technology.

Do you wish to be simulated after death? Do you wish to refuse simulation? Further, and more on the fringe: If simulations become sufficiently advanced, what will be the ethical issues surrounding AI "beings"? Especially as folks get emotionally attached. We may ultimately be creating computers with false "conscious" thoughts. When computers are artificial copies of our real-life emotions, they may believe they can feel or have emotions. This poses complex issues. Where do we draw the line?

When do computers attain consciousness? Can they ever? Do we give it to them by creating simulations of living people? Would erasing a "backup" or simulated family member be considered murder? As accelerating technology makes these possibilities real, we will confront challenging issues.

Mentioned Projects:
https://projectdecember.net
https://www.hereafter.ai/
https://replika.ai/
https://www.myheritage.com/deep-nosta...

The team behind STSTW is even using AI avatars to create videos today -    • Live Longer in the Metaverse? The Ava...  

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