AI Can Create 'Ghosts' Of Lost Loved Ones, But Would You Want To Meet Them?

Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder have been studying a new use of artificial intelligence — creating digital versions of people who have died. These AI 'ghosts' are built from photos, text messages, and other information left behind by the deceased. Researchers wanted to know whether these digital ghosts could help people deal with grief, or whether they might cause more harm than good.

Several tech companies already offer services that turn a person's old photos and messages into a digital ghost. Services like HereAfter AI and Séance AI let people chat with these simulations of their lost loved ones. Some versions even appear as virtual-reality holograms, so grieving people can walk and talk with a lifelike image of the person they miss.

For their study, researchers Jed Brubaker and Jack Manning worked with 16 volunteers between the ages of 22 and 50. Every volunteer had recently lost a close friend or family member. Using detailed information provided by the volunteers, the researchers built two different versions of a digital ghost for each person to try.

The first version was called a 'representation.' It talked about the lost person in the third person, saying things like, 'She loved going to the beach with you.' The second version was called a 'reincarnation.' It spoke in the first person, as if it actually were the lost person, saying things like, 'I loved going to the beach with you.' Each volunteer spent 20 minutes chatting with both versions over Zoom.

The researchers expected people to feel creeped out — like a scene from the spooky TV show 'Black Mirror.' Instead, they were surprised by how positive most people felt. 'I ended up being completely wrong. People thought it was amazing,' said Manning, who became interested in the research after losing his own sister. Almost everyone strongly preferred the reincarnation version, which felt more like the real person.

Some volunteers shared powerful reactions. A 32-year-old woman texted with a ghost based on her grandmother, who had died five years earlier. 'I can see her. I can feel her. It just feels like I'm getting the closure I needed,' she said. A 50-year-old woman was so moved that she typed, 'It was so so powerful. I'd like for you to come to me again.'

However, the technology was not perfect. Sometimes the AI made mistakes called 'hallucinations,' where the ghost said things that didn't sound right. In one case, a man's digital stepfather called him 'champ' — a nickname the real man would never have used. The mistake upset the grieving son so much that he nearly stopped the session.

Volunteers also said they preferred the ghost to send short, casual replies with emojis rather than long paragraphs. Despite the bumps, every single volunteer said they would be willing to try a digital ghost again. This showed that even with flaws, the experience meant a great deal to grieving people.

Still, researcher Manning worries about younger or unsupervised users. He thinks about what it would have been like if, as an 11-year-old grieving his sister, he had chatted with an AI pretending to be her late at night with no adult around. 'That is a very scary thought,' he said. At the same time, he believes that for many people, the experience can bring real comfort and peace.