What to know
- A new Willful survey found 76 per cent of Ontarians would not want their partner turned into an AI chatbot after death, while only six per cent said they would want to continue chatting with a digital version of a loved one.
- Research suggests AI “griefbots” can provide comfort, connection and a sense of closure, but users also worry the technology could prolong grief or create emotional dependence.
- The rise of AI replicas is also raising privacy and legal questions about who controls a person’s digital data after death, with the potential impact of Canada’s proposed privacy legislation still unclear.
Would you want to continue speaking with your partner after they die? The majority of Ontarians say they wouldn’t want to use AI to do so.
As AI technology continues to emerge worldwide, a new wave of AI companies are launching “griefbots,” which use deceased individuals’ texts, emails, photos, and voicemails to build a platform that allows loved ones to continue chatting with them after death.
However, not all Ontarians are on-board with the idea.
A new survey by Canadian online estate planning company Willful revealed that 76 per cent of Ontario respondents say they wouldn’t want their partners to be personified into a “griefbot” after they die.
Meanwhile, only six per cent of respondents said they would want to use the technology to continue chatting with their loved ones.
Technology raises concerns
A new study led by researchers found that people who used the technology found that it led to closeness, and represented memory and reflection of the deceased loved ones, saying that some of the available technology made them feel like they were still connected to them. In addition, a lot of them felt a sense of closure by being able to “chat” with their loved ones after death.
However, participants in the study also shared fear that the technology would make them dependent and interrupt their grief period. Many expressed they were worried that using the technology more than once would make them emotionally dependent.
In addition, the technology is also raising legal concerns over individuals’ privacy and digital footprint after death.
Last month, the federal government introduced Bill C-36, dubbed the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, a legislation proposal that would allow Canadians to request their data be deleted from companies handling Canadians’ data.
It is still unclear how this legislation would affect deceased individuals, or who would be able to make decisions about this emerging technology.
AI companions designed to simulate deceased loved ones have become increasingly available in recent years as advances in generative AI have made it easier to recreate a person’s voice, writing style and conversational patterns. The technology has sparked debate among psychologists, ethicists and privacy experts.
At the same time, governments around the world are beginning to examine how existing privacy laws apply to artificial intelligence and digital identities after death. Questions around consent, ownership and data rights remain largely unresolved.
