An intriguing and disturbing trailer has just been released for a film called Eternal You, which addresses the unnerving and slightly disturbing prospect of bringing back the dead… using artificial intelligence.
But wait, this isn’t science fiction; it’s a documentary.
The official synopsis reads:
The documentary ‘Eternal You’ examines the story of people who live on as digital replicants in the pockets of their loved ones. With the help of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and Big Data, a dream comes true that is as old as mankind itself: eternal life. It’s probably the biggest business idea of the digital age – tech start-ups which use a wealth of data to develop “digital doppelgangers,” which promise to immortalize people on earth. The film raises a number of questions, such as: Can a digital entity compensate for the loss of a loved one? How will human memory be affected? And do we not have the right to forget?
I’m not going to lie, my first thought was: “Wait, isn’t this a Black Mirror plot?” – My second thought: “HOLY SH*T this is an actual DOCUMENTARY. What the f***.”
Anyway, you can watch the trailer below.
This is a really fascinating topic, and to be honest I’d find it extremely unnerving to be confronted by the AI of a dead love one. But part of me still thinks I’d be able to separate it as AI, and not the actual person. Still, it’d be very weird.
What do you think of the prospect of recreating your dead loved ones using AI? Could it be a comfort to some, or potentially harmful? Let me know in the comments.
