Deathbot … Griefbot … or deadbot.
It all amounts to the same thing.
AI technology creating a digital afterlife.
If a loved-one died tomorrow, would you want to keep talking to them?
Not through memories or saved messages, but through artificial intelligence - a chatbot that uses their texts, emails and voice notes, to reply in their tone and style.
I can see why some people would be attracted to the idea, for comfort, for helping to keep a loved one alive, but what about the natural grieving process ?
Surely that would be healthier for us, emotionally and mentally, in the long run?
I’d have to think long and hard about this one but if anything happened to me I’d rather Mr M came to terms with it in the usual way …or is that selfish?
Memories are precious and keep people alive.
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Absolutely not!
Mourning is about eventually coming to terms with loss and grief, acceptance up to a point I suppose?
This actually puts me in mind of a techy version of Victorian post mortem photography
To be honest I find both vaguely disturbing 
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I think you’re right especially the last one.
I think the lines between the digital world and the real world are blurring enough without a grieving mind becoming overly attached to a false image.
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Whereas I love visiting the forum, I try to spend the least possible time on the internet and using any AI connected devices. Nothing in my house is controlled by any web connected assistant, and never will.
There is a Black mirror episode about precisely this. Probably more than one episode. They have quite a few where people create virtual versions of themselves and then carry on living in a virtual world. If you’re a fan of that show you will know that these things never end well.
Better to cherish the good memories and let the bad parts go naturally. Grieving or tricking your mind into thinking its not really over isn’t healthy. Just my opinion, of course.
Use the real time spent enjoying loved ones while they are with us.