Fact chases fiction. A new documentary explores a sci-fi scenario in which loved ones can be recreated using artificial intelligence and communicate with them from beyond the grave.
“Eternal You,” directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and focuses on the emerging business of creating AI avatars of the dead. is leaving.
As first reported rolling stone, the film tells the story of Christy Angel, who uses an AI chatbot called Project December to ‘communicate’ with a loved one who has passed away. What happened next would be fit for a Hollywood horror movie.
When Angel asked the AI avatar where he was, the chatbot responded, “In hell.”
Turning to technology to fill the void left by a partner, parent, or close friend is not new. Harnessing AI before someone dies is one strategy to achieve a form of immortality. And “ghost robots” have already become a trend in China. But experts question the psychological, emotional and ethical impact of these practices.
Project December founder Jason Rohrer was also intrigued by the narrative possibilities.
“I’m also interested in the spookier aspects of this,” Rohrer said. “I love getting goosebumps and goosebumps when I read a script like that.”
Rohrer has not yet responded. detoxification Request for comment.
The cause of Angel’s scary chatbot experience may be due to an ongoing AI hallucination issue. In AI models, hallucinations are when an artificial intelligence confidently reacts in an inaccurate, nonsensical, or confusing manner.
Chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have exploded in popularity since the release of its groundbreaking generative AI model last year. The chatbot that learns data about deceased people is called ‘thanabot’. The term comes from thanatology, which refers to the scientific study of death, focusing on the needs of terminally ill patients and their families and their physical, emotional and cultural aspects. This area also includes social attitudes and awareness of death.
An AI-generated deepfake video of a deceased person went viral on TikTok last May. These short video clips include video, audio and first-person accounts of children, including Royalty Marie Floyd, who was murdered in 2018.
Deepfakes are created by using artificial intelligence to depict false events. Deepfake photos are the most well-known form, but video and audio deepfakes are becoming more prevalent thanks to generative AI.
The use of AI “thanabots” has led some mental health experts to warn that having digital avatars of deceased loved ones can interfere with the grieving process.
“Using AI to create avatars for personal or commercial use should be considered carefully given the potential impact on those grieving a loss,” said Elizabeth Schandelmeier, a grief, loss and bereavement therapist and educator. decryption. “Getting through grief is a process of adapting and integrating the loss into our lives, and it helps us understand the profound changes the death of someone important to us can bring.”
Part of the grief process is developing a story about a person’s life, legacy, who they are and what has impacted their life, said Schandelmeier, a grief specialist and fellow in theology at Howling Lion Grief Support Center.
According to Schandelmeier, using AI to recreate people can significantly hinder that process because the AI image or persona may be very similar, but not exactly the same as the deceased person.
“Any differences can create cognitive dissonance and challenge the perception and memory of the grieving person, which can be very confusing and extremely confusing,” Schandelmeier said. “This can also inhibit an individual’s ability to adapt to their current life and lead to resistance to the very real and tangible changes that accompany death.”
Elreacy Dock, a Thanatologist and Associate Professor of Thanatology at Capstone University in Washington, points out that there are pros and cons to using artificial intelligence to imitate or clone deceased loved ones. Interacting with a loved one’s avatar can help people cope with loss by providing comfort and closure, allowing them to see their loved one again and express unshared emotions.
“While these benefits are very promising, the use of these avatars may still be a cause for significant concern,” Dock said.
As Dock explains, interacting with a deceased person’s AI avatar may become emotionally dependent on interacting with a loved one’s AI avatar (especially for those still in early stages of denial or trauma).
“A final consideration worth acknowledging is that using AI avatars to replicate the likeness of a deceased loved one could potentially be very disturbing to some individuals,” Dock said. “Eventually, attempts are underway to integrate someone’s consciousness and memories into AI, but simulated interactions and reactions cannot replace the overall value and importance of human connections or the unique relationships typically shared with loved ones. “With them.”
Specifically, imagine if your loved one told you that they were texting you from hell.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.