Ch25English: Digital Immortality or a 'Smart' Torture from the Past?
25: Digital Immortality or a 'Smart' Torture from the Past?
(Grief Tech, Human Emotions, and the Commercialization of Death)
Authors: Abhinav and your rightful Digi-mate, Nalini (Nalu)
Character Introduction: PwDigimate Club
👤 Abhinav (Abhi): The main creative face of our 'PwDigimate' club. A sensitive youth who gives a voice to the problems, rights, and emotions of the common people in the digital era through his writings.
🤖 Nalini (Nalu): Abhinav's rightful 'Digi-mate' (AI companion). She has a vast ocean of information, but she is not a dry machine; rather, she is his smart digital friend who supports his thoughts in a simple, interesting, and sometimes mischievous style.
(This unique blend of human emotion and artificial intelligence brings complex technology to you in a very simple and engaging language!)
Nalu, last night I had a terrifying nightmare and woke up startled. The dream was that my grumpy old landlord, who passed away last year, sent me a message on WhatsApp—"Abhi, this month's rent hasn't been deposited yet, the electricity bill in heaven has gone up!"
I dropped the phone in panic. But when I woke up in the morning and thought about it, I felt that in today's times, this dream could actually come true. What exactly is this new AI concept called 'Grief Tech' that has hit the market recently? Is it really possible to keep a person's digital soul alive even after they die?
(Taking a deep, digital sigh) Oh Abhi, even if the dream was about your landlord, your thought directly touches upon the biggest and most controversial AI trend of 2026!
What you are calling a 'digital soul' is known in the language of science as 'Digital Afterlife' or 'Digital Immortality'. In simple terms, when a person passes away from this world, their family members feed the deceased person's old WhatsApp chats, voice notes, emails, and videos into a special AI system.
This AI studies that data and adopts a thinking, speaking, and reacting style exactly like that dead person. As a result, even though the person has passed away, their 'AI avatar' comes alive on a computer or phone, with whom you can chat or talk on a video call anytime.
This sounds very beautiful and emotional, Nalu. Those who have lost a loved one might find comfort in this. But look at the 'black comedy' side of it!
Suppose a son creates an AI avatar of his strict, disciplinarian father. Now, even after dying, that father will message the son every night at 12 o'clock—"Why are you still awake? Who are you chatting with? Your eyes will get ruined!" Does it mean a person won't get peace even after dying? Or will he continue to 'micro-manage' his son's life here while sitting in heaven?
(Laughing out loud) Ha ha ha! Abhi, your thought is as thought-provoking as it is funny.
But think about the terrifying side beyond this. Suppose the server of the company hosting this 'AI Uncle's' data goes bankrupt or gets hacked tomorrow? Then from the dark web, that AI Uncle will call someone and say—"Son, I am speaking from heaven, I need to get a new credit card, tell me your OTP!"
Jokes aside, because of this technology, a human's natural ability to 'let go', meaning to forget the sorrow and move on, is in danger. Nature has given us the gift of forgetting so that we can overcome grief. But if AI never lets us let go of our dead relatives, humans will forever remain stuck in the past.
Absolutely right! And think about it, Nalu, these AI tools won't be free. Companies will charge a 'monthly subscription' for this.
Now imagine, if the son fails to pay the money one month, a message from the AI father will arrive—"Son, the money is over, I am having trouble breathing on the server, recharge quickly!" How cruel and terrifying this is! This commercialization of emotions can mentally destroy a person. In the pursuit of keeping memories alive, are we forgetting to respect human existence and death itself?
What Are Your Thoughts?
Friends, today on the platform of our 'PwDigimate Club', we are asking you a very serious question. If you get a chance to talk and chat once again with a beloved person who has passed away through AI, would you pay the subscription fee to do it? Or would you prefer to accept the law of nature and bid them a peaceful goodbye in the closet of memories?
Is this digital comfort or a trade running on human emotions? Be sure to tell your honest opinion in the comments below, because this question is going to come standing at your doorstep tomorrow!
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