Imagine a future where your phone pings with the message that your late father’s “digital immortal” bot is ready. This promise of chatting with a virtual version of your loved one – perhaps through a virtual reality (VR) headset – is like stepping into a science fiction movie, both thrilling and a little creepy.
As you interact with this digital dad, you’ll be on an emotional rollercoaster. You’ll discover secrets and stories you never knew, changing the way you remember the real person.
This isn’t a far-off, hypothetical scenario. The digital afterlife industry is rapidly evolving. Several companies promise to create virtual reconstructions of deceased people based on their digital footprints.
From artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and virtual avatars to holograms, this technology offers a strange mix of comfort and disruption. It can draw us into deeply personal experiences that blur the boundaries between past and present, memory and reality.
As the digital afterlife industry grows, it presents significant ethical and emotional challenges. These include concerns about consent, privacy and the psychological impact on the living.
What is the Digital Afterlife Industry?
VR and AI technologies enable virtual reconstructions of our loved ones. Companies in this niche industry use data from social media posts, emails, text messages and voice recordings to create digital personas that can communicate with the living.
Although still a niche market, the number of players in the digital afterlife industry is growing.
HereAfter allows users to record stories and messages during their lifetime, which can then be accessed posthumously by loved ones. MyWishes offers the ability to send pre-scheduled messages after death, keeping you present in the lives of the living.
Hanson Robotics has created robot busts that interact with people using the memories and personality traits of the deceased. Project December gives users access to so-called ‘deep AI’ to have text-based conversations with those who have died.
Generative AI also plays a crucial role in the digital afterlife industry. These technologies enable the creation of highly realistic and interactive digital personas. But the high level of realism can blur the line between reality and simulation. This can improve the user experience, but can also cause emotional and psychological distress.
After this
A technology ripe for abuse
Digital technologies for the afterlife can support the grieving process by providing continuity and connection with the deceased. Hearing the voice of a loved one or seeing their image can provide comfort and help in processing the loss.
For some of us, these digital immortals could be therapeutic tools. They can help us keep positive memories and feel close to loved ones even after they have passed away.
But for others, the emotional impact can be very negative, exacerbating rather than alleviating grief. AI recreations of loved ones can cause psychological harm if the relatives have unwanted interactions with them. It is essentially being subjected to a “digital chase”.
Other important issues and ethical concerns surrounding this technology include consent, autonomy and privacy.
For example, the deceased may not have consented to his data being used for a ‘digital afterlife’.
There is also the risk of misuse and data manipulation. Companies could exploit digital immortals for commercial gain and use them to advertise products or services. Digital personas can be altered to convey messages or behaviors that the deceased would never have endorsed.
We need regulation
To address concerns surrounding this rapidly emerging industry, we need to update our legal frameworks. We need to address issues such as digital estate planning, who inherits the deceased’s digital personas, and the ownership of digital memories.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) recognizes post-mortem privacy rights, but faces challenges in enforcement.
Social media platforms control the data access of deceased users, often against the wishes of heirs, with clauses such as “no right of survivorship” complicating matters. Limited platform practices hinder the effectiveness of the GDPR. Comprehensive protection requires a re-evaluation of contractual rules, in accordance with human rights.
The digital afterlife industry offers comfort and memory preservation, but raises ethical and emotional concerns. Implementing thoughtful regulations and ethical guidelines can honor both the living and the dead, ensuring that digital immortality enhances our humanity.
What can we do?
Researchers have recommended several ethical guidelines and regulations. Some recommendations include:
- obtaining informed and documented consent before creating digital personas of people before they die
- age restrictions to protect vulnerable groups
- clear disclaimers to ensure transparency
- and strong data privacy and security measures.
Drawing on ethical frameworks in archaeology, a 2018 study suggested treating digital remains as an integral part of personhood, and proposing regulations to ensure dignity, especially in recreational services.
The dialogue between policymakers, industry and academics is critical to developing ethical and regulatory solutions. Providers should also provide users with ways to respectfully end their interactions with digital personas.
Through careful, responsible development, we can create a future where digital afterlife technologies honor our loved ones in meaningful and respectful ways.
As we navigate this brave new world, it is critical to weigh the benefits of staying connected to our loved ones against the potential risks and ethical dilemmas.
By doing this we can ensure that the digital afterlife industry develops in a way that respects the memory of the deceased and supports the emotional well-being of the living.