Life after death is a concept which has interested humanity since the beginning of times. Be it mythological stories or fiction films/books, the idea of immortality has been explored above and beyond. “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go” is a famous quote by Yann Martel which cements the fact that if you’re alive, you’ll have to eventually let it go. But what if someone does not want to let life go or does not want their loved ones to pass away? Will humans ever be immortal or something close to it? Pratik Desai, an Indian-origin computer scientist has an interesting take on this –
Live after Death – a Twisted take
Pratik Desai recently took to Twitter and shared a tweet suggesting that life after death is possible for people wanting their loved ones to stay alive forever. The catch? they won’t really be alive!
Pratik suggests that by the end of this year, many voice synthesis and video models of AIs will be flooding into the market. If people start recording their elders and loved ones on a regular basis then that data can be used to create AI-based voice and video models of the departed and keep them alive forever, of course, in a dystopian way. The computer scientist claims that the AI models give a 100% chance that the dead will forever live with us even after they’ve left their physical selves.
As one would expect, Pratik’s take on immortality was not received positively. Many Twitter users jumped on in the reply section sharing their views on the same. One reply that stood out for me was from Twitter user @TimothyNerozzi who wrote “Death is real no matter what bizarre facsimile you construct to replace the deceased.”
I stand firm on the opinion that the cycle of life and death is the ultimate truth of human existence. Tampering with the cycle of existence by generating AI-based voice and video modules of the departed is indeed a sign of denial. Letting go does not demean the value of the relationship we shared with our departed souls in any manner. Thus, using AI as a tool for holding onto our deceased loved ones can be deemed extremely unhealthy if not outright unacceptable.