Rise of the digital ghost industrial complex
Deathbots, griefbots and ghostbots are AI-generated avatars of the dead: ghosts as a service.
Everyone thought I was crazy three years ago when I predicted in a Fast Company article the “digital ghost industrial complex.” I said that AI would be used to simulate formerly living persons as a service provided by a wide range of companies. A person’s voice, appearance, knowledge and aspects of their personality would be captured, then used by an avatar for interactive conversations with the living.
Already, my prediction is coming true. A burgeoning industry of “deathbots,” “griefbots” and “ghostbots” is emerging, where AI chatbots mimic the voice, personality, and mannerisms of the dead. Call it “Ghosts as a Service,” or GaaS.
Some people are rolling their own using ElevenLabs’ voice-cloning feature.
For a higher price, companies like HereAfter AI, StoryFile, and Eternos offer services that create AI-powered avatars based on interviews conducted while the person was alive.
Seance AI will conduct a seance with the dead online, complete with the recreation of the ghost’s voice and image for $10.
While such services exist in the United States, they’re really having a real cultural impact in China, where the Communist Party controls religion and leaves people without traditional ways to grieve lost loved ones. Ghostbots are especially popular around the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, a day for commemorating the dead in Chinese culture.
A funeral service company called Fushouyuan is reportedly working on a service whereby AI- and avatar-based copies of a person can speak at their own funeral service.
A startup in Taiwan even offers to create AI ghosts of dead pets.
Some worry about the mental health and ethical impacts of people talking to digital ghosts. But the point is moot. It’s an industry now and customers are lining up to speak to the dead.
As predicted and right on schedule, the digital ghost industrial complex has arrived. But I believe the phenomenon will really take off when we all wear AR glasses. We’ll be able to attend seances whereupon we are visited by the departed. Or, just have dead loved ones knocking around in the attic.
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