AI Deadbots Want To Cure Your Grief

As long as people have been grieving, we have found a way to memorialize our dead people. We grievers keep voicemails, photos, letters, clothes – whatever we can to remember our people. With the rise of AI, it’s no wonder companies desperate to increase their shareholder value have turned to us, the grievers. But it’s not our money they want (or at least, not JUST our money) – it’s our dead people. Their voices, their words, their likeness. They want to reanimate our people, just without their bodies and souls.  A few months ago, I read an incredible article in The Atlantic, titled The AI Companies Trying To Make Grief Obsolete. I knew it was something I NEEDED to talk about, and it just so happened that the author, Charley, was willing to talk to me and share the story of her big brother, Ben, who passed unexpectedly in 2014.  Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is a part of life. A part that we need. Read more about AI deadbots here or here. My 2016 piece in Slate is here. _ Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey’s album on Spotify and Apple! _ Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to Quince.com/TFA for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Go to Quince.com/TFA for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com/TFA Shop Everyday Cotton, and all of my favorite bras and underwear, at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select "podcast" in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. MasterClass keeps adding new classes, so there’s never been a better time to get in. Right now, as a listener of this show, you get at least 15% off any annual membership at MASTERCLASS.com/TFA. That’s 15% off at MASTERCLASS.com/TFA. Head to MASTERCLASS.com/TFA to see the latest offer! Experience your juiciest and deepest sensual experience with a bottle of Foria. FORIA is offering a special deal for our listeners. Get 20% off your first order by visiting foriawellness.com/TFA OR use code TFA at checkout. That’s F-O-R-I-A WELLNESS DOT COM FORWARD SLASH TFA for 20% off your first order. I recommend trying Awaken or their Pleasure Set with all three of their best sellers. With evening and weekend course options, Fordham’s online MSW lets you keep working while earning your degree, completing the program in as few as 16 months. Learn more and apply at fordham.edu/TFA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices