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“Deadbots” rely on the messages, photos, recordings, and digital data of a deceased person to create an interactive simulation of them, and they have begun appearing in private and public contexts such as court hearings. Experts believe their potential benefit in supporting grief is accompanied by risks related to blurring the boundaries between memory and existence, as well as by a lack of sufficient evidence or clear legal and therapeutic standards.
Experts’ opinions differ on using robots that imitate deceased people to help their loved ones overcome grief, but they agree that there are risks involving consent, privacy, and user safety. The absence of sufficient national or global rules leaves sensitive decisions in the hands of the companies producing these systems.