Immortality might never be possible in the literal sense. But what if you could achieve a version of immortality through technology — a digital representation of yourself with whom your loved ones and future generations could interact?
That’s the capability already offered by grief tech companies. Their goal is to replicate the essence of a living person — their personality, their physical likeness — within a “digital ghost” that could, in theory, live forever.
The form and complexity of digital ghosts vary by company. Some are chatbots. Others are full-fledged digital holograms. No matter the form, grief tech is raising fascinating questions about the nature of legacy, how we grieve, and the extent to which people are comfortable interacting with digital ghosts.