Ethically controversial, but the AI industry of 'resurrecting' the dead is still popular in China.
In mid-December 2023, the news of "a father using artificial intelligence (AI) to revive his only son who died of illness" attracted widespread attention from Chinese netizens.
The article describes how, at a cemetery in Zhejiang province, a man placed a mobile phone on a grave and played a recording of his son's words that he never said while he was alive, which was realized by artificial intelligence (AI).
"I know that you suffer every day because of me, feel guilty and helpless. Even though I can't be with you, my soul is still in this world, accompanying you throughout your life," the voice on the phone rang out.
Thanks to AI technology, Chinese people can chat directly with deceased relatives. Photo: Guangzhou Daily
According to China Financial Magazine , this is an AI-based product that can recreate the image, sound, speech, behavior, and even personality and emotions of the deceased. People call it a "digital companion" or "AI digital immortality".
Zhang Zewei, founder of Shanghai-based artificial intelligence company Super Brain, said the industry is really booming in China.
Mr. Truong said that so far, the company has completed more than 600 orders, mostly from parents who have lost children. One order even asked to resurrect an elderly woman’s ex-boyfriend. In addition to hearing voices, customers can also make video calls with people whose faces and voices have been digitized to imitate the deceased.
The report on the development of the new generation of artificial intelligence technology said that China currently has 2,200 AIGC (artificial intelligence-generated content) companies, mainly located in big cities such as Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong.
Despite being high-tech, the cost of each order is not too expensive. Zhang Zewei revealed that Super Brain charges 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (34 to 68 million VND) for an order, completed within 20 days.
Meanwhile, some other technology companies in China advertise that they can "revive" the dead with just 30 seconds of image and sound data. The 3D images used will bring the feeling of being with loved ones, helping to ease some of the longing.
Several cemeteries in China are now also using ChatGPT software and voice-imitating AI technology to “recreate” buried people. Thousands of people have used the service.
A chat between a young man and an AI version of his deceased grandmother went viral on social media. The chat talked about going home to celebrate Tet with his grandmother. Photo: UDN
But there are concerns that the rise of “resurrection” services and derivative products could raise serious ethical dilemmas. Information about the dead would be an easy target for scammers, who could provide AI data about the deceased and then pose as psychics to “communicate with spirits.”
In addition, the use of personal information of the deceased is also a sensitive issue. Many people believe that just because they are dead, others should not have the right to disclose their private information, even if that person is a family member.
Trang Vy (According to caijing )
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