artificial intelligence From a science fiction invention, it evolved into a very useful tool in many professional environments, and then became available to the general population. That scary moment when AI is causing worker layoffs has already arrived for some film doubles and illustrators, and it’s only just begun. We’ve already seen the two-way part of algorithms of this type, one is kinder and one is more hostile. But in some cases, everything is not so simple. There are applications that may seem like a blessing to some people, but to others they just cause problems. This is the case of algorithms artificial intelligence to recreate dead people.
This has become an important milestone in recent years. Done. On the one hand, there are companies that are using artificial intelligence in a rather playful way to create virtual Ouija boards that allow users to communicate with historical figures who have passed away. On the other hand, there are companies that use AI to help their customers communicate with deceased loved ones.
We’ve seen two very specific examples on social media in recent weeks. On the one hand, this is one of those social experiments that they conduct in the program. Anthill, from Antenna 3. It made calls to people who had lost a family member and saved audio recordings of their voices. They were then allowed talk with them.
On the other hand, a video of a mother from South Korea who was able to embrace his little daughter who died a virtual reality. There are those who argue that this can be helpful in the face of grief, but this position has many detractors who believe that it significantly complicates the situation. What do the professionals think? IN Hypertext We talked about this with a psycho-oncologist. Miguel Mediavilla. But before we get your opinion, how far is artificial intelligence going to recreate dead people?
The history of artificial intelligence for recreating dead people
In 2016, technology journalist James Vlahos received very bad news. His father had very advanced stage lung cancer, which soon led to his death.
Having received this blow, he ran to collect all the possible information about his loved one. He recorded audio recordings of his father telling him about his life, from childhood to the present. That way, when he leaves, I can remember him. After his father’s death, he transcribed voice notes that took up more than 200 pages. It might have been a pleasant memory, but it didn’t end there. Over time, I needed something more. I wanted to be even closer to someone who was no longer there, but I trusted technology to achieve this goal. So he decided to create a “dad bot” chatbot trained with his father’s recordings, allowing him to communicate with him whenever he wanted.
He felt that his invention had helped him, so he thought it might be useful to other people. This is how it was born Here after AI, a company that uses voice recordings of deceased people so their relatives can talk to them. Soon after this it became clear History file. This involves video recordings, often deliberately recorded by a person who knows they will die soon or simply wants to leave everything in place, as is done with a will. All this allowed us to create what is known as “avatars from life stories“, digital human reproductions that continue life one day he is no longer there.
Of little use in the face of grief
Some creators of this type of technology, such as Vlahos himself, created them for a good cause. However, there are fears that as they improve, entrepreneurs will emerge who will take advantage of people’s pain in mourning phaseso that they pay again and again to see or talk to their loved ones again.
Moreover, this is not the only risk of using artificial intelligence to recreate dead people. Directly, this may not be very useful for advance in a duel. “Grief is a process of adaptation to loss in which the mourner learns to live in the absence of a deceased loved one, and one of the mechanisms of this process is habituation,” says Miguel Mediavilla. “One of the facts that a grieving person must learn to live with is inability to carry on a conversation with the deceased.”
This is important information, although the psychologist makes a comment. “It’s not that we can’t talk to her,” he says. “In fact, talking to people who have died is a common and beneficial activity during grief.” This is part of the natural process. In fact, throughout history we can see many examples presented in different formats. There is even a phrase Irene Vallejo which, according to the psycho-oncologist, very well defines the usefulness of these conversations: “Talking with the dead is something less than a conversation, but much more than a monologue.”
So what’s the problem with artificial intelligence recreating dead people?
The problem is that here we have false feeling talk to that dead person, when in fact there is nothing from him behind this voice or this image. This comforting part of talking to the deceased without waiting for a response, as in Vallejo’s quote, disappears, creating a false illusion of intimacy that can delay the end of grief or even make it chronic.
“This application can freeze, make grief chronic or interrupt its natural process, preventing the process of addiction. Basically, it seems to me that this is why it is an unnecessary tool for the vast majority of people in mourning, and one that can also be harmful for a significant number of them. I think it should only be used in a clinical context, under the supervision of a professional, and in very specific circumstances. Circumstances that, on the other hand, can be dealt with in other ways.”
Miguel Mediavilla, psycho-oncologist
What if we still want to try?
Miguel Mediavilla notes that one of the problems we face in our society is the taboo on death. “We find it very difficult to talk about death, in fact we prefer to act as if it does not exist or as if it will never come to us,” he explains. “For example, we often confuse concepts such as grief and mourningwhich are not interchangeable.”
This is why he believes that perhaps the only advantage of using artificial intelligence to recreate dead people is that it helps us think more about death.
What happens if someone insists on using these algorithms? According to the psycho-oncologist, it would be useful to talk to this person and show understanding. But also mention existing alternatives.
“The first thing I would tell you is to think about why you want to use AI and whether you really need it. discuss with a deceased person. If you need it, for example, to tell him that you love him, or to ask him to forgive you for a specific problem, or to tell him how much you miss him. I would tell you that if you are looking for answers, think that the answer will not be the person you loved so much, but a machine cloning your voice. And he will probably tell you what you want to hear. Moreover, if the response is not as expected, the pain may be even worse.”
Miguel Mediavilla, psycho-oncologist
For this reason, “I would tell these people that if they feel it is appropriate, they should seek professional grief help.” For example, in Spanish Association Against Cancer, where Mediavilla operates, offer this type of service. But this is not the only institution that does this.
When faced with a duel that we cannot overcome, the main thing is to look for professionals. Speaking in the voice or image of someone who is no longer here may seem comforting at first, but will likely leave a bigger hole later. Artificial intelligence can make our lives easier. But when it comes to death, unfortunately, there are no miracle solutions that will save us from crying. What appears to be a wound closing may actually make it wider.
Source: Hiper Textual
