[ExI] Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve.

[BillK]

Technology that lets us speak to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready?
Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve.
By Charlotte Jee      October 18, 2022

<https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/18/1061320/digital-clones-of-dead-people/>

Quote:
StoryFile’s CEO, Stephen Smith, demonstrated the technology on a video
call, where we were joined by his mother. She died earlier this year,
but here she was on the call, sitting in a comfortable chair in her
living room. For a brief time, I could only see her, shared via
Smith’s screen. She was soft-spoken, with wispy hair and friendly
eyes. She dispensed life advice. She seemed wise.

Smith told me that his mother “attended” her own funeral: “At the end
she said, ‘I guess that’s it from me … goodbye!’ and everyone burst
into tears.”
He told me her digital participation was well received by family and
friends. And, arguably most important of all, Smith said he’s deeply
comforted by the fact that he managed to capture his mother on camera
before she passed away.
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The latest advanced chatbots plus training on someone’s text messages,
emails, and voice conversations can now build very realistic
recreations of individuals.
It is a considerable leap in technology that some people may find
difficult to cope with.

BillK