What would you give to hear the voice of a loved one you’ve lost? That’s something many people would love to do, but it may be impossible. But, with AI, maybe that could change.
In December 2023, a digital creator called Philip Willett was said to have surprised his grieving mother during Christmas by resurrecting his late father’s voice through AI. Willett gifted his mother a motion book, which had a photo album and videos and that contained an AI-generated voice that resembled his deceased father. This was done by using a software called ElevenLabs, which has text-to-speech software.
And while this may be heartwarming to many, this could raise concerns about potential misuse and manipulation. Is there some informed consent issue here? There might be some issues when a person’s voice is replicated without their explicit approval. And could this open doors to potential exploitation? Could there be malicious use of recreated voices or unauthorized commercial use of AI-generated content?
Is there some kind of slippery slope of uploading consciousness onto computers the way Black Mirror prophesied?
Or is this similar to using a departed loved one’s ashes to make diamonds?
Beside the tech implications, are there troubling psychological ramifications here? Could this kind of tech impact the natural grieving process to hinder the acceptance of loss and the emotional healing that comes with it? On the other hand, maybe, this kind of tech could provide solace and closure to some people. But, maybe, there needs to be more research to understand how this tech could influence the psychological well-being of people over time.
In India, maybe, there could be startups developing online platforms to leverage AI to provide personalized grief support. When a person is living, could there be startups enabling people to curate their digital legacy in a secure and ethical manner? What if you’re feeling low and stuck in life and wonder what your late mother would say Maybe, a startup can help you ask your late mother based on her input when she was alive. How about using someone’s voice to curate a family history and interactive features for a digital archive of one’s heritage? So, is a dependency on tech for emotional support a good thing?
What would you do to hold onto the memories of those you cherish?
Subscribe to rizing.substack.com
