Humans have always used technology to resist the idea of death and to immortalize man in one way or another. Cameras were initially used to photograph the faces of the dead, and then sound recording technologies were harnessed to preserve the last words of the departed.
Hot Topics
About half of Libyans drink contaminated water What is the scientific reason?
Mauritania's blue treasure is in danger Will the map of fish in the Atlantic be redrawn?
The Citrus Secret Everyone's Talking About: Burn More, Crave Less & Feel Great Naturally
Turkle begins by reviewing what is called "mourning technology," which are programs that use artificial intelligence to create avatars or chatbots for deceased people.
Among these services is the "You, Only Virtual" website, which allows the user to enter information about a person to create a digital version of them, in addition to the "Storyfile" platform, which uses video recordings to create a character capable of speaking in the voice of its owner.
Another example is "HereAfterAI," a platform that allowed the creation of an interactive digital version of a deceased person, which family members could communicate with after their death. The site was shut down in 2026.
Turkle believes that this technology raises a fundamental question: Does it help a person cope with grief, or does it give them a way to escape the reality of death and postpone saying goodbye indefinitely?
"My digital mother"
The researcher decided to test this herself, as her relationship with her mother was complicated; she died young, leaving behind unanswered questions and hazy memories. Because Turkle's mother died before the widespread use of phones and text messages, the author lacked digital conversations that could be used to construct a fictional character.
The service team suggested she fabricate conversations, so she used her personal diaries, in which her mother was one of the main characters, and used artificial intelligence to create imaginary messages in her voice.
The writer then felt disappointed and left the platform, but she did not stop the experiment. She used "Chat GBT" to create another experimental version of her mother, and inserted the content of her diary into it, then asked it to speak as if it were her mother.
Tags:
technology