On December 20th, Agence France-Presse reported from Taizhou, China, that in a cemetery in eastern China, a man named Mr. Wu (Seakoo Wu) listens to the voice of his deceased son through a phone call. This is not a recording from his son’s life, but rather artificial intelligence that allows his son to speak.
Mr. Wu’s son passed away prematurely, and his transliterated name is “Xuanmo” (tentatively translated as Xuanmo), speaking in a voice with a slight robotic accent, saying, “I know that because of me, you feel pain and guilt every day, feeling helpless.” “Even though I can no longer be by your side, my soul still exists in this world, accompanying you through life.”
Like Mr. Wu and his wife, an increasing number of Chinese people who have lost loved ones are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to bring their lost loved ones back to life.
For Xuanmo’s father, his goal is to ultimately create a virtual avatar that behaves and speaks exactly like his son.
Mr. Wu said, “Once we achieve synchronization between reality and the metaverse, my son will be with me again.”
Several companies in China have joined the ranks of providing virtual mourning services: some companies claim to have created thousands of virtual “digital humans,” sometimes requiring only 30 seconds of video footage of the deceased.
“The Ghost Robots”
Last year, Mr. Wu (Saekoo) and his wife’s lives underwent a drastic change when their only son passed away from a stroke at the young age of 22.
According to Mr. Wu, his son had studied finance and accounting at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, enjoyed sports, and had a fulfilling life.
The rise of chatbots (ChatGPT) in China brought new hope to this desperate father: his son could be virtually resurrected.
To achieve this, he collected photos, videos, and recordings of his son Xuanmo. He then spent thousands of dollars to hire a company specializing in artificial intelligence to clone his child’s face and voice.
Although the results are still in the early stages, Mr. Wu (Saekoo) does not want to stop there: he has compiled a file containing a wealth of information about his son and relies on algorithms to reproduce his son’s thoughts and way of speaking.
These “ghost robots” phenomenon is not limited to China, as there are also companies in the United States working in this niche field.
According to experts in this field, Zhang Zewei, the founder of Super Brain Company and Mr. Wu’s former colleague, China is at the forefront of artificial intelligence technology.
This gentleman residing in Jingjiang (eastern China) said, “China has a large population, and many people have emotional needs, which gives us an advantage in the market.”
According to Mr. Zhang, the fee charged by his Super Brain Company ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (1,300 to 2,600 euros), and it takes about 20 days to create a basic avatar.
Among his clients are not only those who have lost loved ones, but also parents who feel frustrated because they did not have enough time to spend with their children… and even lovers who are heartbroken and hope to see their ex-girlfriends again.
One of the services they provide is video calls with an employee whose face and voice are replaced by the face and voice of the person the client wishes to see.
Mr. Zhang said, “This is very important for our society, and even for the whole world.” “A person’s virtual digital version can exist forever, even if their physical body no longer does.”
Agree or disagree?
According to Sima Huapeng, the founder of Nanjing Silicognition Company, this technology represents “a new human spirit.”
He compares this technology to portraits and photography, which completely changed the way people remember their loved ones at the time.
Tal Morse, a researcher at the Death and Society Research Center at the University of Bath in the UK, admits that “these virtual avatars can provide a certain level of comfort,” but the psychological and ethical impacts they may have are still to be observed.
He said, “One fundamental question here is to know (…) how faithful these ghost robots are to the personalities they are meant to imitate.”
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Because “if they do something + pollute + the memories of the people they should represent, what would happen? How do we know if the deceased truly consented?
Mr. Zhang from Super Brain Company acknowledges that any new technology is a “double-edged sword.” But he does not see any problem as long as they help those in need.
He assures us that he will not collaborate with anyone who may be negatively affected and cites the case of a woman who attempted suicide after her daughter’s death.
According to Mr. Wu, Xuanmo’s father, Xuanmo “would likely accept” being virtually resurrected.
As his wife weeps at the grave, he says, “One day, my child, we will be reunited in the metaverse.” “The development of technology is rapid (…) it’s just a matter of time.”