Griefbots Are Here, Raising Questions of Privacy and Well-being

Perhaps griefbots should be considered therapeutics that are subject to approval by the Food and Drug Administration and prescribed by a mental health professional.

But as a society we must decide whether the free market should continue to dominate this space and potentially abuse our grief. For example, should companies be able to create AI ghosts and then try to sell them to us, operating like an amusement park that takes our picture on a ride and then offers to sell it to us when we disembark?

During the Covid pandemic, streamed funerals were initially seen as odd, but now they seem like a normal option. A similar trajectory to public acceptance is likely to happen with deathbots.

As a Latine person for whom Día de los Muertos is part of the culture, Culber might find speaking with the dead a familiar concept. In China, one reason for the acceptance of AI ghosts might be the tradition of honoring and engaging with one’s ancestors. In contrast, the creepiness that Martha feels, and that I share, might arise from our Western c... See more

Whether AI ghosts are helpful or harmful may also depend on a survivor’s age and culture. Complicated grief is the more likely outcome for children who, depending on the developmental stage, might see death as an impermanent state. A child who can see a parent’s AI ghost might insist that the parent is alive.