The end of mortality

DW (English)

AI tools are being tested around the world to help people maintain connections with the dead. The documentary "Eternal You" meets people who have already tried out the new technologies for digital immortality.

Transcript

00:00If you had a chance to talk to someone that died that you love, would you take it?

00:09Without knowing what the risk is, without knowing what the outcome is, would you take

00:12it?

00:13I took it.

00:16American Christy Angel chatted with an AI bot, which she had to train first with a few

00:20personal details about her deceased boyfriend.

00:25This experience, it was creepy.

00:32There were things that scared me and a lot of stuff I didn't want to hear.

00:39In the documentary Eternal You, two German filmmakers explore what it's like to try to

00:44bring the dead back to life in some way using AI.

00:53People always underestimate the effect of talking to machines that pretend to be human.

01:00The AI tricks people by repeatedly using small portions from the deceased person's dataset,

01:08alluding for example to songs you listened to together or movies you watched together.

01:16The psychological consequences of this kind of AI haven't yet been researched.

01:20That's why sociologist Matthias Meitzler wants to know how it impacts grief.

01:25You don't know what the avatar will say next or how it will use the original material.

01:35Would it lie about the deceased person, perhaps even distort the memories you have of them?

01:40And what about manipulation?

01:44Someone has to configure the avatar after all.

01:47What interests are at play here?

01:49And if it's a company pursuing economic objectives, well, that might not always be beneficial

01:54for the grieving process.

01:56Here, a grieving mother says goodbye to her young daughter in virtual reality.

02:03The encounter was filmed for TV in 2020 and sparked controversy.

02:08The girl's avatar was created from photos and videos.

02:15It was very moving, also disturbing, but I can see why someone might want to do it.

02:21Indeed, the virtual meeting was a positive experience for the mother.

02:26Perhaps in future, digital avatars could help us say goodbye or when we just want to remember.

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