Mourners can now speak to an AI version of the dead. But will that help with grief?

Several companies have emerged in the last few years to develop grief-related technology, where users can interact with an AI version of the deceased. Among them is Eternos, which uses an in-house model as well as external large language models developed by major tech companies like Meta and OpenAI. Eternos records users speaking 300 phrases and then compresses that information through a two-day computing process capturing a person’s voice that loved ones can then access. While some have embraced this type of technology as a way to cope with grief, others feel uneasy about companies using AI to try to maintain interactions with those who have passed away. Still others worry it could make the mourning process more difficult because there isn’t any closure.