It is natural for people to grieve for loved ones who have died. One of the ways that people have tried to cope is through artificial intelligence (AI), with the creation of "deathbots" (also known as "griefbots").
The process of developing deathbots includes inputting all the words that the deceased person would use into the computer programme by using personal material such as e-mails, texts, voice notes, and social media posts. One limitation is the inability to portray the nuances made in communication (such as stress or tone), so the resultant speech can be monotone. Nevertheless, while the interaction may lack authenticity, the emotion for the bereaved person will be undoubtedly real for there will be a psychological buy-in.
Furthermore, the responses and the character in the deathbot can be continually changed as to how the bereaved person is to be portrayed so, for example, the deathbot can be more tender and loving than the person was whilst they were alive. Whilst most deathbots are static in development, one provider has versions that "evolve" so that the deathbot is more "authentic" by keeping up with technology and new information, even responding to events after the death of the person.
