In South Korea, an increasing number of individuals are turning to artificial intelligence technology to create digital recreations of deceased loved ones, using AI-generated video messages to reconnect with the past. Among them is Lee Geon Hui, who commissioned a Seoul-based company to produce a short AI-animated video of his late grandfather delivering a personalized message to Lee’s father, a single parent. The virtual grandfather expressed affection and apologies, touching his son deeply and prompting an emotional response.
Lee, a 28-year-old office worker, wrote the script himself to express sentiments he felt his father wanted to hear. He described the moment his father viewed the video—initially reluctant but ultimately moved to tears—as deeply rewarding. Such experiences are becoming more common as South Korean startups respond to growing demand for digital memorials, with families often using them during gatherings for memorial rituals and major holidays.
The Seoul firm Vaice, which Lee contracted, serves roughly 300 customers monthly, primarily people in their 40s and 50s seeking AI-generated tributes to parents or grandparents. According to Vaice’s CEO Jeongu Won, the process requires only a few photographs and short voice samples of the deceased, with a typical three-to-five-minute video costing around 600,000 won (approximately $390). Customers typically script personal messages, frequently including expressions of love, unresolved regrets, or hopes for reconciliation.
The concept of digitally preserving deceased relatives is gaining traction, supported in part by the media’s use of AI to resurrect late celebrities for television. However, experts caution that such technology presents complex ethical, psychological, and legal challenges. Yong Man Ro, an AI specialist at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, described the phenomenon as a "double-edged sword," highlighting its potential to both comfort and unsettle users by introducing novel emotional and cultural experiences.
Legal scholars emphasize the urgent need for regulation to address these emerging concerns. Choung Wan, an emeritus professor at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University Law School, called for laws to safeguard the dignity and rights of the deceased, including prohibiting AI recreations if individuals had opposed such use while alive and restricting commercial exploitation of their images and voices.
Looking ahead, the industry is beginning to explore interactive AI models, often referred to as “griefbots” or “deathbots,” that simulate two-way conversations between the living and virtual representations of the dead. Startups developing these more immersive experiences have prompted discussions about potential risks, including the blurring of boundaries between reality and artificial simulation, with some experts warning of possible harm to vulnerable individuals.
While companies like Vaice report no negative feedback so far, the evolving use of AI in mourning raises important questions about how society reconciles technological innovation with sensitive human emotions and legal protections.