Digital Resurrection: Challenging the Boundary between Life and Death with Artificial Intelligence

Philosophies 9 (3):71 (2024)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses challenges in the field of bioethics, especially concerning issues related to life and death. AI has permeated areas such as health and research, generating ethical dilemmas and questions about privacy, decision-making, and access to technology. Life and death have been recurring human concerns, particularly in connection with depression. AI has created systems like Thanabots or Deadbots, which digitally recreate deceased individuals and allow interactions with them. These systems rely on information generated by AI users during their lifetime, raising ethical and emotional questions about the authenticity and purpose of these recreations. AI acts as a mediator between life, death, and the human being, enabling a new form of communication with the deceased. However, this raises ethical issues such as informed consent from users and the limits of digital recreation. Companies offer services like the Digital Resurrection of deceased individuals and the generation of hyper-realistic avatars. Still, concerns arise about the authenticity of these representations and their long-term emotional impact. Interaction with Thanabots may alter perceptions of death and finitude, leading to a potential “postmortal society” where death is no longer viewed as a definitive end. Nevertheless, this raises questions about the value of life and the authenticity of human experiences. AI becomes a bridge between the living and the dead, partially replacing rituals and mystical beliefs. As technology advances, there will be a need for greater transparency in interacting with AI systems and ethical reflections on the role of these technologies in shaping perceptions of life and death. Ultimately, the question arises of whether we should allow the dead to rest in peace and how to balance the pursuit of emotional relief with authenticity and respect for the memory of the deceased. A deeper ethical consideration is needed on how AI alters traditional notions of life, death, and communication in contemporary society. In this research, an interdisciplinary approach was utilized to conduct a comprehensive systematic review of the recent academic literature, followed by a detailed analysis of two key texts. Central ideas were extracted, and recurring themes were identified. Finally, a reflective analysis of the findings was conducted, yielding significant conclusions and recommendations for future research.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 92,953

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Artificial Intelligence as Solution in Facing the Age of Digital Disruption 4.0.David David - 2020 - JUDIMAS (Jurnal Inovasi Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat) 1 (1):107-116.
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.John-Stewart Gordon, and & Sven Nyholm - 2021 - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Ethical Machines?Ariela Tubert - 2018 - Seattle University Law Review 41 (4).
Digital’s cleaving power and its consequences.Luciano Floridi - 2017 - Philosophy and Technology 30 (2):123-129.
Digitalisierung und Alltagswelt.Oliver Zöllner - 2023 - Praefaktisch.De: Ein Philosophieblog.
Pragmatism for a Digital Society: The (In)Significance of Artificial Intelligence and Neural Technology.Matthew Sample & Eric Racine - 2021 - In Orsolya Friedrich, Andreas Wolkenstein, Christoph Bublitz, Ralf J. Jox & Eric Racine (eds.), Clinical Neurotechnology meets Artificial Intelligence. Springer. pp. 81-100.
Artificial Intelligence Needs Environmental Ethics.Seth D. Baum & Andrea Owe - 2023 - Ethics, Policy and Environment 26 (1):139-143.

Analytics

Added to PP
2024-05-21

Downloads
3 (#1,726,395)

6 months
3 (#1,044,897)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations