Tech entrepreneurs have found their way into the business of death, with various startups offering services related to estate planning, crowdfunding funeral costs, and even turning ashes or hair into diamonds. Culture journalist Mihika Agarwal has been reporting on this emerging industry, including the use of ghost bots, chatbots designed to help people process grief. In an interview with Marketplace’s Lily Jamali, Agarwal discusses the range of options gaining traction in the grief tech industry and the ethical concerns surrounding them.
Agarwal highlights some of the apps in this space, such as StoryFile and HereAfter AI, which allow users to record interviews and interact with an AI-powered element. On the other end of the spectrum are apps like You, Only Virtual, which aim to recreate the presence of the deceased. Agarwal raises concerns about the lack of active disclosures and privacy statements from these companies, as well as the nascent state of post-mortem consumer protection rights in the United States.
The issue of privacy and consent also arises when dealing with a deceased person’s digital footprint. The ownership and inheritance of digital assets are still debated in Silicon Valley and the cybersecurity landscape. Agarwal introduces the term “death technopreneurship,” coined by Tamara Kneese, to describe the trend of entrepreneurs seeking opportunities in the death industry.
As an Indian journalist, Agarwal compares the mourning rituals in her culture to the lack of bereavement policies in the United States. She suggests that culturally, there is a tendency to distract and avoid grief rather than process and integrate it into one’s life.
The article concludes with a mention of Justin Harrison, CEO of You, Only Virtual, who hopes that people will no longer have to feel grief in the future. The idea of outsourcing grief to ghost bots raises questions about the different forms grief takes and its role in helping people cope with death.
