AI versus Marshy - AI for Dead People

I’ve been exploring the intersection of AI and everyday life in my previous newsletters, and I’m excited to dive into a fascinating topic that’s been on my mind lately. As someone who’s always curious about the potential of technology, I’ve been following the developments in AI and its applications. In this article, I want to share with you a thought-provoking idea that’s been discussed in my community and has left me wondering about the implications of AI on our lives. Let’s dive into the concept of AI for dead people and explore what it means. Do you remember when your uncle talked to you about Bitcoin? We’re almost there. I’m part of a Slack community of dance music fans and we’re basically old nerds that share links and talk about funnies, tech, and games. A comment was made that the transplanting “us” into a synthetic body happening “in our lifetimes” could be possible. Enter AI. “Yeah - you could probably upload an old loved one’s email, socials, online identity into a Language Learning Model and get a decent replica of them” Oh shii—- that already exists.” Thanabots are the digital representation of someone. ​ Project December is a project that enables talking to a simulation of someone including someone who is no longer living . (Italics is their words and added for effect). From a marketing video? Or horror story. I find this quite weird. But do I have a good reason why? My idea of someone passing has an element of finality that includes digital presence, but discussion in the community was mixed. I rabbit-holed into the world of lucid dreaming once upon a time and believe it or not this problem comes up in that world. Lucid dreaming is the art/science of controlling your dreams. With enough practice you can induce a lucid dream that’s limited only by your imagination. There’s a book called “Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming” by Stephen LaBerge. If you can create anything in your dream, you can also recall and interact with dead loved ones. The author writes: “When an important relationship ends, people often find that they are left with unresolved issues… In waking life, it is impossible to say those things you never said to your father before he died… In lucid dreams, however, it is possible to achieve resolution. Of course, the absent (person) is not really there, but the missing person’s representation in your own mind is present. This is enough, since it is your own inner conflicts that you need to settle.” Reading about this again (but with AI instead of lucid dreaming) still feels not quite right. Originally appeared in newsletter : AI versus Marshy #27: For Dead, For Leftovers, For Vision