Is it ethical to use AI to bring back digital ‘ghosts’ of the deceased?

In a world where technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, a new service has emerged that blurs the lines between life and death. Artificial intelligence technology now allows people to interact with virtual bots that resemble their deceased loved ones. These “griefbots” or “deadbots” are digital replicas created using AI technology to simulate the presence of the deceased.

Silicon Intelligence and Super Brain are two companies offering this controversial service, using large language models similar to ChatGPT to analyze data such as text, photos, and audio recordings to create these digital “ghosts” of the dead.

Researchers like Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska and Tomasz Hollanek are raising concerns about the ethical implications of this technology. In a recent paper published in Philosophy & Technology, they explore the risks of what they call “digital immortality” and the potential harm it could cause, especially to vulnerable populations like children.

One scenario they present involves a terminally ill woman leaving a griefbot to assist her young son with the grieving process. This raises questions about the impact of exposing children to such technology and the need for age-restricted access.

Nowaczyk-Basińska emphasizes the importance of safeguards to protect the dignity of the deceased and ensure that users are aware they are interacting with AI. She also highlights the need for sensitive procedures for retiring or deleting these deadbots and the significance of consent in using such technology.

As the debate around digital immortality continues, researchers like Nowaczyk-Basińska stress the need for regulations and safeguards to prevent irresponsible technology design and protect the dignity of human beings, even after death. The cultural sensitivity of death and grief further complicates the issue, requiring a nuanced approach that takes into account different cultural perceptions and practices surrounding death.