An AI avatar software for Disney stars to communicate with the deceased

Actor Calum Worthy of the Disney Channel has introduced 2wai, an AI platform that generates interactive avatars of departed family members who can converse and engage in various life events, evoking similarities to the techno-dystopian series "Black Mirror." The specifics: With just a few minutes of recorded video, the program creates "HoloAvatars" that let users converse with virtual representations of departed family members. Thousands of people responded negatively to a promotional film on X that went viral and featured an AI grandmother interacting with her grandchild from childhood to adulthood. Currently available for free on Apple's App Store, the beta version will soon be available on Android smartphones and switch to a tiered subscription model. Critics referred to the concept as "demonic" and "objectively evil," claiming that by mimicking the deceased without permission, it exploits grief and obstructs appropriate mourning. Things will only grow more bizarre if you thought it was odd that consumers were becoming emotionally connected to AI models like 4o. Selling an empty avatar as "preserving a loved one" seems like an AI psychotic event waiting to happen, putting aside ethical concerns about the deceased's identity, consent, and commodification of grieving.