Speculating the Afterlife

Abstract

Popular narratives about artificial intelligence (AI) and the afterlife provide a narrow vision of grief, memory, and technology. To foster a broader view of what AI might make possible in the context of death, we hosted a speculative design workshop with interdisciplinary experts. Through a series of design exercises and group discussions, participants were encouraged to develop novel ideas including memorialization and critically reflect on the opportunities and challenges. Our analysis identified four thematic areas: reimagining memorialization practices; grappling with ethical and practical concerns around data; reshaping continuing bonds with the dead; and confronting the commercial and infrastructural challenges of sustaining grief technologies. In our discussion, we argue that AI technologies offer openings for cultural critique and emotional insight. In broadening our vision for AI, this paper provides a more pluralistic and emotionally attuned vision for how AI might shape experiences of grief and memorialization.