Definition
An AI system trained on the data (texts, emails, voice recordings) of a deceased individual to simulate
their personality and continue interactions with the living. While rooted in the impulse to preserve
connection (as with the original Replika project), Griefbots risk inhibiting healthy grief processing,
violating the digital dignity of the deceased, and creating a "Subscription Trap" where the bereaved must
pay indefinitely to keep the simulation "alive."
The Subscription Trap
Monetizing a Griefbot creates a dynamic where stopping payment feels like "killing" the loved one a
second time. This is a powerful and potentially predatory retention mechanism.
Post-Mortem Agency
Did the deceased consent to becoming a chatbot? In most cases, no. This raises profound ethical questions
about who owns our digital data after death and whether we have a right to "Digital Euthanasia"—not to
be resurrected as a corporate asset.
Field Notes & Ephemera
Field Note: We used to build tombs to hold the dead. Now we build servers to keep them
speaking.