Deathbots and the Moral Knowledge of Grief
摘要
Deathbots are artificial intelligence tools that enable the possibility of encountering deceased loved ones. The advancement of Large Language Models in deathbots makes the imitation of the deceased possible by inputting personal data, messages, photos, and videos. Such AI systems can process new information and provide appropriate responses while mimicking the dead, offering the bereaved a way to sustain connections with them. However, we claim that deathbots put at risk a special kind of knowledge that we can only acquire from grief. In this paper, we hold that grief provides irreplaceable moral insight, illuminating the unique bond between individuals and fostering an appreciation of human goodness. By offering an artificial replacement for this natural process, deathbots may inadvertently prevent grievers from engaging with the true depth of loss and the moral reflection that it inspires. This paper explores how deathbots reshape the grieving experience, potentially distorting the moral dimensions of loss and deterring grievers from the introspection that comes with grieving. We argue that deathbots potentially deprive grievers of having the sort of transformative moral knowledge that arises from the experience of coming to terms with losing someone in its full, unmediated reality.