USING AI to bring dead loved ones “back to life” as chatbots risks distressing grieving friends and family, experts warn.
A study looked at how “deadbots” could be used to advertise products, or have a social media presence.
Boffins say it could feel like being “stalked by the dead”, and harm people such as kids mourning for parents.
Even those who at first take comfort from the bots may get drained by daily interactions.
Loved ones may also be powerless to stop the bot if the dead person signed a contract with a digital afterlife service.
Platforms, such as Project December, already exist.
Dr Tomasz Hollanek, at Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre, said: “It is vital that digital afterlife services consider the rights and consent not just of those they recreate, but those who will interact with them.
“These services run the risk of causing huge distress to people if they are subjected to unwanted digital hauntings from alarmingly accurate AI recreations.”
Dr Hollanek said ways of “retiring deadbots in a dignified way should be considered” – a “form of digital funeral”.
The researchers recommend age restrictions for deadbots, and also call for “meaningful transparency” to ensure users are consistently aware that they are interacting with an AI.