AI "griefbots" are having a moment
AI tools built from a deceased loved one's texts, photos, and voicemails — sometimes called "griefbots" — are becoming a booming industry, according to recent reporting. These tools use a person's digital footprint to recreate something like their voice or conversational style, giving grieving family members a way to "interact" with them again.
A genuinely mixed picture
There's no single narrative here. Some families report real comfort from using these tools — a sense of connection that helps with the grieving process. Others report the opposite: deep regret after trying it, describing the experience as more painful or unsettling than helpful.
Why there's no easy answer
Grief is deeply personal, and so is the response to technology that simulates a lost loved one. What brings comfort to one person may feel invasive or upsetting to another. There isn't yet a clear consensus — among families, researchers, or grief professionals — about whether these tools help or hurt the grieving process overall.
What families should do
Given how mixed the reported outcomes are, the most useful step before using one of these tools isn't research into the technology itself — it's a conversation. Families considering this kind of tool should talk it through together, including how each family member might feel about it, before deciding whether to try it.
The takeaway
AI grief technology is new, fast-growing, and genuinely divisive in how people experience it. There's no default "right" choice — only a decision worth making thoughtfully, and together.
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