The writer is a science commentatorSome might lay an extra place setting at the Christmas table, or put a symbolic gift under the tree that will never be unwrapped. Others may commemorate the loss of a loved one by raising a quiet toast or hiking a favourite trail.
But the rise of “grief tech” could soon allow those left behind to interact more vividly with the dead. Companies such as HereAfter AI are building “legacy avatars” of living people that can be called upon after their deaths to console the bereaved. These personalised chatbots are able to answer questions about their lives based on information they provided when they were alive.
The trend towards AI-assisted grieving, which goes beyond simply preserving the digital legacies of the deceased, may end up reshaping the way we memorialise our dead.