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How artificial intelligence is now being used in the grieving process

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Artificial intelligence is emerging as a new technology for those mourning the loss of a loved one. The use of AI is just beginning to be used in the grieving process, bringing the dead to life through the emerging technology. However, while some see it as a way to allow a person to live on through memories, others have expressed concerns over the ethics and whether it truly heals the individuals experiencing the loss of a loved one.

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Still, those concerns are not stopping Michael Bommer, a terminally ill German man, and his wife from creating an AI-generated version of his voice to live on past his lifetime.

Bommer, who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, has entered the final stage of his life. Bommer said he finds comfort in knowing his wife will be able to listen to his words after his death, hopefully bringing her comfort in the process as well.

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For months, the couple teamed up with Robert Locascio, CEO of legacy platform Eternos. The company worked to build “a comprehensive, interactive version” of Bommer — Eternos’ first client.

Locascio said that the interactive technology has 300 different phrases that they captured. He calls it “your emotional voice,” which may bring different cadences to how someone says, “I love you,” or “Oh, the door is open.”

Locascio said that one hour of recording takes about two days to compute. He added, “that becomes your voice. That becomes your talking AI, I’ll call it your essence.”

Eternos uses external language models developed by companies like Meta, OpenAI and the French firm Mistral AI. The model can answer questions from life events to the person’s political views through a computer. The cost for the service is $15,000.

Eternos is among several companies that are venturing into the business of grief-related AI technology. Some examples include California-based company, StoryFile, which allows users to interact with prerecorded videos of loved ones through the use of algorithms to answer questions.

HereAfter AI also offers a similar interaction with a “life story avatar.” Meanwhile, Seance AI offers fictional seances for no cost. However, if one wish to incorporate a loved one into their seance, the cost is $10.

However, ethical questions remain, like if a company goes belly-up. For instance, StoryFile has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and said that it owes around $4.5 million to creditors. Still, the company said that it is currently setting up a “fail-safe” system that allows families to have access to material whether or not it folds.

Furthermore, a researcher who co-authored a study on the use of AI technology for those who have died said that the technology raises other concerns, like the rights and consent of the dead and whether the services truly offer closure to the mourners. The researcher said that it remains “a vast techno-cultural experiment.”

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[KARAH RUCKER]

A NEW PHENOMENA IS EMERGING AS A PART OF THE GRIEVING PROCESS– 

BRINGING THE DEAD TO LIFE THROUGH A-I.

SOME SEE IT AS A WAY TO ALLOW A PERSON TO LIVE ON THROUGH MEMORIES.

OTHERS WORRY ABOUT THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES.

STILL, THOSE CONCERNS AREN’T STOPPING MICHAEL BOMMER, A TERMINALLY ILL GERMAN MAN, AND HIS WIFE FROM CREATING AN AI-GENERATED VERSION OF HIS VOICE.

BOMMER FINDS COMFORT IN KNOWING HIS WIFE WILL BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO HIS WORDS AFTER HIS DEATH.

THE COUPLE TEAMED UP WITH AN AMERICAN CEO FRIEND, WHO RUNS LEGACY PLATFORM “ETERNOS,” BUILDING “A COMPREHENSIVE, INTERACTIVE VERSION” OF BOMMER, THE COMPANY’S FIRST CLIENT.

[ ROBERT LOCASCIO]

‘WE HAVE, YOU SAY, 300 DIFFERENT PHRASES THAT CAPTURE, I’LL CALL IT YOUR EMOTIONAL VOICE. SO SOMETIMES YOU SAY, ‘I LOVE YOU! OR YOU SAY, ‘I LOVE YOU.” AND THEY SAY, ‘OH, THE DOOR IS OPEN.!’ AND WE CAPTURE ALL THAT AND THEN WE COMPRESS ALL THAT AND MAKE AN AI OUT OF IT. THAT’S, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR OF RECORD, BUT IT TAKES ABOUT TWO DAYS TO COMPUTE TO MAKE THAT INTO YOU. AND THAT BECOMES YOUR VOICE. THAT BECOMES YOUR TALKING AI, I’LL CALL IT YOUR ESSENCE.’

[KARAH RUCKER]

ETERNOS USES LANGUAGE MODELS DEVELOPED BY COMPANIES LIKE META, OPENAI AND FRENCH FIRM MISTRAL A-I. 

THE MODEL CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM LIFE EVENTS TO THE PERSON’S POLITICAL VIEWS THROUGH A COMPUTER. THE COST IS AROUND 15-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

IT’S AMONG SEVERAL COMPANIES VENTURING INTO THE BUSINESS OF GRIEF-RELATED A-I TECH.

SOME EXAMPLES, CALIFORNIA-BASED STORYFILE ALLOWS USERS TO INTERACT WITH PRE RECORDED VIDEOS OF LOVED ONES– USING ALGORITHMS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.

HEREAFTER A-I, OFFERS A SIMILAR INTERACTION WITH A “LIFE STORY AVATAR. 

AND SEANCE A-I, OFFERS FICTIONAL SEANCES.

STILL, ETHICAL QUESTIONS REMAIN– LIKE IF A COMPANY GOES BELLY-UP.

STORYFILE HAS FILED FOR CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION.

SAYING IT OWES AROUND 4.5 MILLION DOLLARS TO CREDITORS.

THE COMPANY SAYS IT’S CURRENTLY SETTING UP A “FAIL-SAFE” SYSTEM ALLOWING FAMILIES TO HAVE ACCESS TO MATERIALS WHETHER OR NOT IT FOLDS. 

A RESEARCHER WHO CO-AUTHORED A STUDY ON THE TECHNOLOGY RAISED OTHER CONCERNS LIKE THE RIGHTS OF THE DEAD AND WHETHER THE SERVICES TRULY OFFER CLOSURE. SAYING IT REMAINS “A VAST TECHNO-CULTURAL EXPERIMENT.”

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