MIT: Technology that lets us speak to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? Short answer: No

Just before Halloween 2022, MIT comes out with a creepy article!

The technology for virtual relatives is certainly not ready! However, in 5-10 years or so when more and more of our daily lives are digitally recorded and stored, more realistic virtual impersonations and multiple virtual coexisting personas are possible.

Longevity by advances in medicine and/or by virtual reality? The future will tell! 😊

"Technology for “talking” to people who’ve died has been a mainstay of science fiction for decades. It’s an idea that’s been peddled by charlatans and spiritualists for centuries. But now it’s becoming a reality—and an increasingly accessible one, thanks to advances in AI and voice technology. 

MIT Technology Review’s news editor, Charlotte Jee, has written a thoughtful and haunting story about how this kind of technology might change the way we grieve and remember those we’ve lost. But, she explains, creating a virtual version of someone is an ethical minefield—especially if that person hasn’t been able to provide consent. ..."

Technology that lets us speak to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready? | MIT Technology Review (behind paywall) Digital clones of the people we love could forever change how we grieve.