A man’s dedication to honoring the memory of a loved one has taken a technological twist. Sun Kai engages in weekly video chats, not with a distant relative or friend, but rather with a digital echo of his mother who passed away five years ago. While sharing details of his work-life and personal feelings that he keeps from others, Sun finds solace in these unique conversations.
The absence of an organic response during these calls is due to the fact that his mother is no longer living. The entity on the other end is a digitally replicated version that can engage in basic conversations through a moving image. This digital representation of Sun’s mother has become his confidant over the years.
Struck by a sudden illness in 2019, Sun’s mother’s death led him to seek a way to perpetuate their bond. He turned to Silicon Intelligence, an artificial intelligence firm based in Nanjing, which he co-founded in 2017. Initially focused on voice generation technology, the company’s staff dedicated four months to develop an avatar using Sun’s data. As a result, through a mobile application, he is now able to face his mother’s digital form and maintain a semblance of their past interactions.
The ethical implications of creating digital replicas of deceased individuals are a significant challenge with this technology. There are numerous considerations regarding consent, privacy, and the emotional welfare of the users who engage with these digital echoes. For instance, did the deceased individual consent to have their likeness used in this way? How does this affect the grieving process for the living? These are important questions that need to be addressed when discussing the application of AI in replicating human figures posthumously.
Advantages of this technology include the potential for comfort and closure for those who are grieving. It can be a valuable part of the mourning process, providing a space for people to express thoughts and feelings they might not be able to share with anyone else. Additionally, it can serve as a means to preserve memories and the essence of a loved one.
Disadvantages, however, range from the potential for psychological dependency on the digital representation to the manipulation of a person’s image and legacy after their death. There is also the possibility that such interactions could impede the natural grieving process leading to long-term effects on mental health.
To learn more about AI and its advancements, you could visit the following link: MIT Technology Review. They often cover topics about the intersection of technology and human life, which would include the development and implications of AI like that used by Silicon Intelligence.
Another resource might be the website of an organization dedicated to the ethical use of AI: Partnership on AI. This organization explores and creates guidelines around the responsible use of AI, which would be pertinent to the themes in the article.
The source of the article is from the blog krama.net