Promotion of Human Values (161)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 45 min
- The Interational Journal of Psychoanalysis
- 2024
Because the technology simulates sentience, it removes the ethical imperative of considering the deceased as an irreducible other, fostering attachments that may displace living relationships and misrepresent the dead. While the author concedes that tightly regulated, consent-based applications (e.g., helping a child imagine a deceased parent) might offer therapeutic value, the prevailing danger is that griefbots short-circuit the lifelong, relational work of mourning. Psychoanalysis, the article concludes, must scrutinize these “post-human” tools to preserve an ethics of otherness in a culture increasingly tempted to outsource grief to machines.
- The Interational Journal of Psychoanalysis
- 2024
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- 45 min
- The Interational Journal of Psychoanalysis
- 2024
Mourning, melancholia and machines: An applied psychoanalytic investigation of mourning in the age of griefbots
Because the technology simulates sentience, it removes the ethical imperative of considering the deceased as an irreducible other, fostering attachments that may displace living relationships and misrepresent the dead. While the author concedes that tightly regulated, consent-based applications (e.g., helping a child imagine a deceased parent) might offer therapeutic value, the prevailing danger is that griefbots short-circuit the lifelong, relational work of mourning. Psychoanalysis, the article concludes, must scrutinize these “post-human” tools to preserve an ethics of otherness in a culture increasingly tempted to outsource grief to machines.
- What is the danger of turning mourning into a private, self-regulated loop through the use of a grief bot?
- What are the benefits or harms of disconnecting from a deceased loved one during the grieving process, and why might that be lost through the use of grief bots?
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- 10 min
- Daily Mail
- 2024
Cites a study from Cambridge University that discusses potential ways in which grief bots may be exploitative. It establishes that grief bots influence you because they establish a connection through the identity and reputation of a loved one and then impact a user’s decisions. Although the article accepts that a grief bot may be therapeutic in some cases, users may be coerced into buying something by the grief bot. The grief bot can become confused with its role, for example, if a terminally ill woman leaves a grief bot for her child, the bot might depict an impending in-person encounter with the child. The third scenario in the article is one of a dying parent secretly subscribing to a grief bot service before his death, and the maintenance of the grief bot becomes intense emotional labour for the children of the deceased.
- Daily Mail
- 2024
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- 10 min
- Daily Mail
- 2024
Think twice before using AI to digitally resurrect a dead loved one: So-called ‘griefbots’ could HAUNT you, Cambridge scientists warn
Cites a study from Cambridge University that discusses potential ways in which grief bots may be exploitative. It establishes that grief bots influence you because they establish a connection through the identity and reputation of a loved one and then impact a user’s decisions. Although the article accepts that a grief bot may be therapeutic in some cases, users may be coerced into buying something by the grief bot. The grief bot can become confused with its role, for example, if a terminally ill woman leaves a grief bot for her child, the bot might depict an impending in-person encounter with the child. The third scenario in the article is one of a dying parent secretly subscribing to a grief bot service before his death, and the maintenance of the grief bot becomes intense emotional labour for the children of the deceased.
- What are possible ways that rituals that could be used to retire grief bots?
- Should a grief bot be making any recommendations to the user? What are the potential problems or harms that could be caused by these recommendations?
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- 15 min
- 2024
In this piece, Leong—a Catholic attorney and theology graduate student—explores the ethical, spiritual, and emotional implications of “grief tech,” particularly AI-powered “ghostbots” that simulate conversations with deceased loved ones. She critiques this technology through a Christian theological lens, drawing on thinkers like Karl Rahner and Tina Beattie to argue that such digital recreations undermine the embodied nature of human personhood and the Christian understanding of death.
- 2024
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- 15 min
- 2024
The false promise of keeping a loved one “alive” with A.I. grief bots.
In this piece, Leong—a Catholic attorney and theology graduate student—explores the ethical, spiritual, and emotional implications of “grief tech,” particularly AI-powered “ghostbots” that simulate conversations with deceased loved ones. She critiques this technology through a Christian theological lens, drawing on thinkers like Karl Rahner and Tina Beattie to argue that such digital recreations undermine the embodied nature of human personhood and the Christian understanding of death.
- What does the article suggest about the meaning of personhood, and how might AI griefbots distort this concept?
- How might someone from a different religious or cultural tradition respond differently to the idea of digitally resurrecting the dead?
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- 10 min
- Rest of World
- 2024
This article provides an overview of griefbot culture in China. Users there, according to this article, are very satisfied with the experiences they are having with the griefbots of their loved ones.
- Rest of World
- 2024
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- 10 min
- Rest of World
- 2024
AI “deathbots” are helping people in China grieve
This article provides an overview of griefbot culture in China. Users there, according to this article, are very satisfied with the experiences they are having with the griefbots of their loved ones.
- Why might there be a difference in the way grief bots are received in China compared to the US?
- Could griefbot technology be more effective or ethical in cultural traditions that view ancestors in the longer context of family relationships? Why or Why not?
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- 60 min
- Association for Computing Machinary
- 2023
A qualitative study was conducted with 10 participants who use griefbots to cope with loss after the death of a loved one. Interviews were about an hour long each, and the results are compiled in a readable table.
- Association for Computing Machinary
- 2023
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- 60 min
- Association for Computing Machinary
- 2023
The “Conversation” about Loss: Understanding How Chatbot Technology was Used in Supporting People in Grief.
A qualitative study was conducted with 10 participants who use griefbots to cope with loss after the death of a loved one. Interviews were about an hour long each, and the results are compiled in a readable table.
- What other questions could the researchers have asked the users?
- Do you think this service is something you might use? What information would you want in a griefbot about a loved one?
- What are the ways in which a bad actor could use this service in harmful ways?
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- 35 min
- Submitted to AIES '25
Critically examines emerging technologies that enable digital immortality—the preservation and simulated interaction with the dead through AI-generated chatbots, deepfakes, or virtual avatars using personal data. The paper argues that these technologies represent a form of techno-solutionism, providing artificial remedies for the complex human experience of grief. The authors warn that digital immortality platforms—marketed by startups like HereAfter AI, Eter9, and others—pose psychological, ethical, legal, and environmental risks, especially to vulnerable grieving individuals.
- Submitted to AIES '25
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- 35 min
- Submitted to AIES '25
Wanted Dead or Alive
Critically examines emerging technologies that enable digital immortality—the preservation and simulated interaction with the dead through AI-generated chatbots, deepfakes, or virtual avatars using personal data. The paper argues that these technologies represent a form of techno-solutionism, providing artificial remedies for the complex human experience of grief. The authors warn that digital immortality platforms—marketed by startups like HereAfter AI, Eter9, and others—pose psychological, ethical, legal, and environmental risks, especially to vulnerable grieving individuals.
- What is digital immortality, and how does it differ from other concepts like transhumanism or consciousness uploading?
- Why do the authors argue that digital immortality platforms are a form of social media? Do you agree with this classification?
- How does the paper define and critique “techno-solutionism”?