“Griefbots” and the Commercialisation of the Digitised Afterlife

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, the “digital afterlife industry” is moving from science fiction to a booming commercial reality.

Projected to reach $80 billion by 2034, companies now offer “griefbots”: AI avatars, voice clones and chatbots trained on a deceased person’s text messages, voicemails and social media posts to simulate ongoing conversations.

This technology represents a modern evolution of 19th-century spiritualism. Where Victorians turned to seances, spirit photography and “spirit phones” to seek closure; 21st-century mourners use generative AI to hear familiar voices or settle unfinished business. Experts note that both movements stem from a fundamental human desire for a “final conversation.”

However, psychologists and ethicists urge caution. Without longitudinal data, researchers warn that continuous, on-demand interaction with an AI facsimile can complicate the grieving process. It risks creating destructive dependencies, blurring the boundary between memory and ongoing presence, and preventing the healthy ultimate acceptance of loss.

Significant ethical and legal dilemmas also remain unresolved. Consent is a major hurdle, as existing frameworks rarely prevent families or strangers from creating griefbots using a deceased individual’s public data without prior permission. Furthermore, tech platforms monetise these intimate interactions through subscription models, harvesting emotional and biometric data within an “emotional AI” economy.

Ultimately, while griefbots can offer temporary comfort or serve as interactive oral histories, researchers declare that there is a limit to their utility. An algorithm cannot replicate the living complexity of a human relationship. Digital resurrection risks replacing the finality necessary for mourning with an endless, artificial simulation.