“Even in death – Persephone has given him wisdom, everlasting vision to him and him alone… the rest of the dead are empty, flitting shades." (The Odyssey, Book 10, Homer)

Artificial intelligence is a bridge. An arc over the limbic space between present and future. Between human and computer. It transcends our understanding of the world and breaks the frames of our experience. It is rapidly surfacing issues of exponential possibility, while strongly coupled with ethical fears of dystopian extinction. Confusion is everywhere as the machines turn ever faster. Unintended consequence is very real. Legislation is already years behind.

What happens when artificial intelligence transcends death? When a digital presence lives on long beyond our physical experience. We often leave footprints in the digital sand, but what of our essence left behind. The digital simulation of what makes us… us. We’re increasingly accustomed to depictions of de-aging in the movies, but what of the essence capturing and resurrection of loved ones, or even ourselves? A digital corrective to death itself. We store information in our computers’ memories, but artificial intelligence is now able to remix such storage with our actual memories in simulating human interaction. We know it’s not real, but it feels real. It is enough. And like the flitting shades of Ancient Greece, we can now summon the departed, talk to them, and reach beyond the grave.

My research will be more of a journey documented than a destination arrived. It will frame a deep exploration of example, means and ethical questioning including but not limited to the following ideas:

  • Issues of privacy, permissions and the commercialization of digital identity as applicable to those who cannot speak for themselves. This might include the posthumous use of digital likeness, but also of digital essence through chatbots and voice replicator services such as Descript.

  • The proactive extraction of an individual’s persona where permission is given prior to death, as in the case of Hereafter Ai. What are the tactical methods used, what are the implications for issues of faith, and how do they impact a person’s digital agency and ability to control their own narrative after they have passed? What are the ethical implications of interacting with a digital essence for those left behind, and for whom the product is often intended?

  • Speculative analysis of unintended consequence and the true cost of such a value exchange. How might this technology be used for sinister ends, despite the best of intentions of its creators? This is where I intended to not just follow the money, but follow the intended outcomes of such potentially darker uses.

My research will take the form of a comprehensive research website at www.digitalethicsportfolio.com, and encourage discussion through communal commenting and engagement.