Can someone who has passed away continue to exist digitally? In the age of artificial intelligence, the answer may be: “yes”… The term cybernecromancy – “cybernecromancy” – refers to the invocation of the dead through the digital traces they have left behind.

“Already, internationally, we have seen examples that are both awe-inspiring and fear-inducing. Companies have unveiled “deathbots” that converse exactly like the deceased, using imaginative means to do so. The app Deep Nostalgia “animates old photos by making them move, giving the illusion that our dead loved ones are “breathing” again.

Apps such as StoryFile and HereAfter AI leverage pre-recorded videos of people, allowing for realistic post-mortem “conversation”. Even more impressive, the ElevenLabs: AI voice generator tool revives the voices of artists like John Lennon, while “Replika” and “Character AI” create “avatars” that mimic the faces we’ve lost,” Artemis K. Tsitsika, Professor and UNESCO Representative of the GHE & WHO Collaborating Centre, Associate Professor of Pediatrics-Adolescent Medicine at the University of Athens, Scientific Director of the Adolescent Health Unit (A.H.H.) of the 2nd Pediatric Clinic of the University of Athens – Kyriakou Children’s Hospital.

These applications serve various purposes: consolation, management of grief, management of stress, brought by the loss and revival of artists with a large footprint (singers or actors) to pay tribute and continue their work.

Should the dead continue to “live on” through technology?

“However, there is a counterargument, as cybernecromancy can hinder the process of mourning and create a false sense of companionship and attachment.

Still, it is also possible to distort the personality and beliefs of the deceased,” notes Calliope Bardou, MSc Psychologist. Developmental and Adolescent Health” of the Medical School of the University of Athens.

As she adds, “In addition, issues of a legal nature clearly arise, such as exposing the personal and sensitive data of the deceased on the internet without authorized access to this data.

Let us further consider that the European Union, seeing the technology galloping, enacted the AI ACT (2024/1684) in 2024, which is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework, with four levels of risk. Cybernecromanc, however, is nowhere mentioned, leaving the privacy rights of the dead unprotected.”

According to experts, there is another aspect to the financial sector. In particular, a new form of capitalism is opening up, that of the commodification of the memories and personalities of the dead.

This piece raises serious questions concerning the exploitation of the vulnerability of relatives for profit, the ethical commodification of the identities of the dead, and questions about the moral responsibilities of the corporations themselves.

Despite our technological familiarity, Gen Z seems quite hesitant about this use. In a recent survey, 80 out of 100 18-25-year-olds in England said they would not use AI apps to contact a deceased person.

Furthermore, 27.8% of the same participants said they did not consider this technological expression normal, 22.2% said it was rather strange, and 16.7% said it was disrespectful.

In conclusion, Cybernecromancy emerged as an attempt to alleviate the pain of grief. But not only does it seem to lead to the opposite results, but it also brings up many questions and dangers.

As a society, we do not – at least not yet – have the means (e.g., legislation) to deal with the consequences of such a technological reality.

Artemis K. Tsitsika

Professor and UNESCO GHE & WHO Collaborating Centre
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University of Athens, Greece
Rev. Head of the Adolescent Health Unit of the 2nd Pediatric Clinic of the University of Athens – Children’s Hospital “P. & A. Kyriakou”
Director of the MSc “Str. Director of the Department of Developmental and Adolescent Health”
President of the Hellenic Society of Adolescent Medicine (EEEI)/UNESCO
President of the Advisory Committee for the correction of the registered sex
Ministry of Health

Calliope Bardou
Psychologist MSc
Developmental and Adolescent Health”
School of Medicine of the University of Athens

Researchers of the MSc “Strategies of Developmental and Adolescent Health” of the School of Medicine of the University of Athens, present the topic at the 18th “STATE of the ART” Conference of Adolescent Medicine/Health, on 10 & 11 October at the “Kostis Palamas” Building of the University of Athens.