Items of Interest: Griefbots

Sorry in advance. This News article may strike you as rather disturbing. It’s about how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to create “digital recreations” of people who have died. I’m only sharing this in the spirit of education, so you are aware that this technology currently exists.

Griefbots – also known as deadbots, AI ghosts, ghostbots, postmortem avatars, thanabots, and some other names – are AI-powered chatbots designed to simulate conversations with deceased individuals.

They are created by using a deceased person's “digital footprint” – such as text messages, emails, social media posts, voice recordings, images, and videos, to mimic their speech patterns, personality, and behaviors. Other physical documents might also be used – such as diaries and letters.

Several companies have emerged in the last few years to offer this as a “service” – ostensibly as a comfort to people in mourning. I’m not going to provide any links to these companies, but I will name a couple examples so you can get the gist:

A company called Project December offers a $10 package that allows people to exchange about 100 messages with a custom-built griefbot. Another company called You, Only Virtual offers a $20/month subscription for something similar, and also a “freemium” version that includes advertisements. You get the idea.

Below is a video advertisement published by Project December. To be honest, it’s hard for me to watch it. I think it’s sinister and disturbing. It also shocks me that this is considered to be an advertisement, because I don’t understand how it could possibly be appealing to anyone.

Click image to play video.

More information about griefbots can be found in a recent article, published by Nature, called “Ready or not, the digital afterlife is here - Developers of griefbots say that they help people by allowing them to commune with recreations of the dead, but others say that the technology is fraught with danger.”

From my humble perspective, this is nothing more than modern-day divination / sorcery / witchcraft / spiritism / whatever-you-want-to-call-it, with a digital twist.

It’s clearly demonic. The Bible clearly warns us that such practices are deceptive. So please do your best to stay clear of it. But also, it’s important to be aware that it’s out there in the world. Thus, this TOP News article. Unfortunately, it can’t be ignored or simply be swept under the rug.

In purely secular terms, the financial exploitation of people who are in a heightened emotional state should be deeply concerning to rational ethicists.

The answer is not to “regulate” this technology. The answer is to have enough moral foundation to denounce it outright and clearly identify it for what it is.