Technology has now reached a point where it can create interactive simulations of people who have passed away. While apps that do this are marketed around memories, there are arguments that it’s blurring the line between reality and fantasy too much. The concern is that human mortality will start to be ignored, and digital versions of previously living people will lead to disappointment.

The advancements in this kind of technology have come rapidly, making it possible for people to “see” their loved ones who have already passed away. HereAfter AI is one of the most popular apps for doing this, but there are also others. Allowing families who are in mourning to talk with replicas of their loved ones is designed to give them some closure and comfort.

Shifting reality into fantasy by letting people simulate deceased loved ones, and feel like they’re interacting with them or talking to them, could have significant mental health implications. It could also encourage the belief that deceased people aren’t really gone, or that they can be replaced with digital versions of themselves.

In a way, that dilutes what makes people uniquely special and human, because it consolidates them into a set of characteristics that can be used by artificial intelligence to replace them after they die. Additionally, the argument against this kind of technology is partially based on the idea that people won’t move on after losing someone they love.

Grieving the loss of a loved one is an important step, but after the grief eases a person is generally expected to move on. They have life to live yet, and they may have other people who need them. If they aren’t moving on because they’re spending all their time with the AI-version of their missing loved one, they could get stuck in that space of grief.

Whether these simulations are a way to hang onto memories and smile, or whether they’re ways to get trapped in the middle of grief and unhealthy coping mechanisms will remain to be seen. Either way, they’re here to stay.

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