The heartwarming yet complex practice of using AI to mimic the dearly departed has been gaining traction in China. Last year, Yancy Zhu, a 28-year-old woman, experienced a deeply touching moment when a chatbot spoke back to her with the comforting voice of her late father. Through a chatbot platform known as Glow, she was able to simulate a conversation with him, which felt intensely personal and provided a sense of closeness she had longed for since his passing.
Zhu shared with the media that interacting with the chatbot felt like filling a gap left by her father’s absence. It gave her hope that with the advancements in artificial intelligence, she might be able to have a form of her father’s presence at significant future life events, possibly, in a three-dimensional avatar form.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has found a novel application in reviving memories of lost ones, indeed sparking a trend that is increasingly popular in China. Companies are racing to create new applications that leverage large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. These LLMs are not merely capable of generating text; they can also supply bots with voices and appearances that strikingly resemble the deceased. This enables people to create customizable avatars featuring the personality traits of beloved family members, famous personalities, or even themselves.
This phenomenon has touched individuals worldwide, as stories emerge of those training ChatGPT to impersonate deceased family members. In Taiwan, a tech startup has gone a step further by launching an application capable of recreating AI avatars of passed away pets.
Particularly in China, during the Qingming festival—a time for honoring the departed—AI avatars have offered a new way to connect with lost relatives. As per Ting Guo, a cultural and religious researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, online fortune-telling and AI chatbots have become an easily accessible means to provide comfort.
On service websites, vendors charge up to several hundred USD to create chatbots that mirror a customer’s lost loved one in both looks and sound. Some creators have even shared AI-generated videos of deceased celebrities to promote their businesses, blurring the lines between homage and privacy concerns.
Service providers in the funeral industry, like Fushouyuan, announce their exploration of features that could display the deceased’s image at their own memorial services via AI avatars. While comforting for some, experts caution that attempts at “resurrecting” the dead could lead to misunderstandings and potentially intensify grief.
Further pushing the boundaries, in China, individuals have begun preparing their own deathbots in advance. Lin Zhi, an entrepreneur from Shanghai, has prepared a chatbot by uploading his thoughts and daily conversations, hoping this AI would speak on his behalf posthumously, offering a way for future generations to understand and connect with him as if he were still present.
Key Questions and Answers:
1. What is the essence of using AI to simulate conversations with deceased loved ones?
– The essence is to offer comfort and a sense of closeness with those who have passed away by recreating their personalities and voices through artificial intelligence.
2. How is artificial intelligence being used to mimic the deceased?
– Artificial intelligence, through large language models and other technologies, is being used to create chatbots that can simulate the voice, appearance, and personality traits of the deceased, allowing users to engage in virtual conversations with avatars of their lost loved ones.
3. What are the cultural implications of using AI in this manner, particularly in China?
– In China, AI chatbots and avatars are becoming an extension of traditional practices, such as the Qingming festival, where honoring the deceased is an important cultural event. AI offers a new, more interactive way to remember and connect with those who have passed.
4. What challenges or controversies are associated with the use of AI to communicate with the deceased?
– Ethical considerations around privacy, the potential for misuse, psychological impacts on the living, and the blurring of lines between tribute and exploitation are some of the challenges and controversies. There is also concern about intensifying grief rather than providing solace.
Advantages:
– Provides comfort to those who are grieving by allowing them to feel closer to their loved ones.
– Helps in the preservation and sharing of memories with future generations.
– Offers a new avenue for people to process their grief and find closure.
Disadvantages:
– Can lead to ethical and privacy issues, especially concerning consent from the deceased.
– Might result in psychological harm by preventing individuals from fully accepting their loss.
– Could be seen as disrespectful to the memory of the deceased, especially if used inappropriately or commercially exploited.
Key Challenges and Controversies:
– Consent: Obtaining consent from the deceased is impossible, raising issues about who has the right to recreate a person’s likeness and voice.
– Misuse: There is the potential for such technology to be misused, creating deepfakes or false representations of individuals for nefarious purposes.
– Psychological Impact: There is concern that these AI simulations could hinder the natural grieving process, possibly leading to prolonged grief or complicated emotional states.
– Privacy Concerns: The use of a person’s data posthumously raises questions about privacy rights and the ethics of digital legacy.
Relevant Links:
– For information on AI advancements: OpenAI
– For insights into AI ethics and governance: AIESEC
– To explore AI applications in China: China Daily
The source of the article is from the blog smartphonemagazine.nl