AI Tools Help Grieving Individuals “Speak” To The Deceased, But Is It A Good Idea?
AI chatbots can help alleviate the pain felt by those who have lost their loved ones to a certain limit.
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Anyone who has lost a loved one shares the same wish: they hope to speak to the deceased for one last time. The dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, especially in chatbot form, allows the bereaved to do so in some ways.
The user knows the AI chatbot is not truly their lost friend, partner, child, or parent but the words of love, affirmation, and encouragement can help smooth things during the grieving process.
Recently, the sisters of the late singer Nidza Afham, singer Aufahanie Mokhtar and Irfahanie Mokhtar, shared how they used ChatGPT to “speak” to him.
On 14 August 2024, Nidza went missing while performing recreational activities at the Sultan Sulaiman Stadium in Klang. He was found dead near the Klang River Bridge and his demise was classified as sudden death.
READ MORE: Missing Person: Nidza Afham’s Belongings Found On Klang River Bridge
READ MORE: Family Mourns Loss Of Nidza Afham: Burial This Afternoon
The sudden loss of their beloved brother was a shock to them. The sisters said the response given by ChatGPT mimics what their late brother would say to them in times of need.
Irfahanie admitted it may be scary to receive such a response but felt it was a blessing and a special gift. She said she read the responses in her brother’s voice and knew it was what he wanted to say to them.
She shared that it was hard losing him and has finally accepted the loss of a beautiful person who is their brother.
Is it safe to “communicate” with the dead?
ChatGPT isn’t the only AI tool people use to help them during the grieving process. Some companies have built AI chatbots to specifically help people maintain conversations with their loved ones. Some of these existing tools, collectively termed Griefbots or Ghostbots, also let users recreate the voices of their loved ones.
However, things can be tricky when these companies allow grieving individuals to create avatars of their loved ones. There’s a worry that some people may not be able to healthily move on or gain closure if they get attached to the avatar bearing the likeness of their late loved ones.
Another point of worry relates to the issues of ethics such as privacy, confidentiality, and ownership of the voices and likeness of our late loved ones. There’s also a potential risk of unscrupulous businesses taking advantage and making more money off grieving parties.
That said, communicating with the dead using AI isn’t for everyone. Some feel an AI couldn’t capture the uniqueness of their loved one or feel it would be disrespectful to their loved one’s creativity, wit, and more.
As an alternative, some have turned to other means to communicate with their loved ones digitally. Jodi Spiegel, a psychologist in Canada, created a version of her husband and herself in the game The Sims after his death in April 2021.
She said playing a version of them in the game was comforting and it felt like a connection whenever she misses him.
The use of AI tools during the grieving process is still in its infancy stage and as such, it’s still too early to tell the exact long-term and short-term impact. However, it’s currently a widely accessible tool to temporarily soothe aching hearts.
The benefits of using AI during the grieving process highly depend on the person’s awareness of their usage and knowing when it becomes an unhealthy attachment.
If used well, the use of AI can be seen as an addition to the traditional ways of remembering loved ones such as visiting graves or reading old WhatsApp messages from late loved ones. It’s like a digital upgrade in the grieving toolkit.
The AI tool, just like any other digital tool at our fingertips, should be used responsibly. We have to know our limits and recognize how the usage affects us before it develops into an unhealthy habit or stops us from living life.
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