A growing number of South Koreans are turning to artificial intelligence to create video messages from deceased loved ones, offering comfort but also raising ethical questions. Lee Geon Hui, a 28-year-old office worker, hired Seoul-based tech company Vaice in December to create a short AI-animated video of his late grandfather as a gift for his father, who raised him as a single parent. The virtual character apologized for past conflicts and called his father "my most precious son." Lee said, "My father said he wouldn't watch the video. But then he did, and he shed tears. So I felt rewarded."
Rising Demand for AI Resurrection Services
Vaice CEO Jeongu Won reports serving about 300 customers monthly, primarily people in their 40s and 50s seeking videos of late parents. Others request videos of grandparents as gifts for their own parents. The company requires a few photos and short voice samples of the deceased to create a likeness. A basic three-to-five-minute video costs 600,000 won ($390). Many customers play these videos during family gatherings for memorial rituals or major Korean holidays, with most adding the phrase "I love you" and some addressing unresolved conflicts.
Ethical and Legal Concerns Emerge
While the technology provides solace, experts warn of potential psychological harm. Yong Man Ro, an AI expert at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, called it "a double-edged sword, as it deals with human emotions." Choung Wan, emeritus professor at Kyung Hee University Law School, urged laws to protect the dignity of the deceased, banning AI recreations if the person opposed it before death and limiting commercial use of images and voices.
Future of Griefbots and Interactive AI
Startups are developing "griefbots" that simulate two-way conversations with AI versions of the dead. Choung warned that such interactions could undermine healthy mourning: "Psychologically, a healthy mourning involves a process to acknowledge the absence of the deceased... But speaking with an AI system simulating a living person could cause a negative effect of leaving bereaved families trapped in a fantasy." Vaice's Won is cautious about launching chatbot services due to supervision challenges. Meanwhile, technological advances now allow replicating details like wrinkles and skin pores, and customers report AI likenesses increasingly resemble their loved ones.
