The tech industry has found ways to profit from death in various ways, from digital estate planning to crowdfunding funeral costs. There are even startups, like one backed by Mark Cuban, that can turn ashes or hair into diamonds. Culture journalist Mihika Agarwal has been reporting on the grief tech industry, including the use of chatbots to help people process grief. In an interview with Marketplace’s Lily Jamali, Agarwal discusses the range of options available and the ethical concerns surrounding them. She mentions apps like StoryFile and HereAfter AI that allow users to record interviews and interact with an AI-powered element to preserve memories. On the other end of the spectrum are apps like You, Only Virtual, which aim to recreate the presence of deceased loved ones. Agarwal highlights the lack of regulations and disclosure around data privacy and post-mortem rights in the United States. The issue of consent and ownership of a person’s digital footprint after death is also a subject of debate. Agarwal coins the term “death technopreneurship” to describe the trend of startups entering the grief tech market. She notes that the United States lacks culturally elaborate mourning rituals compared to other countries, and there is a tendency to distract and avoid grief rather than process it. The interview concludes with a mention of a grief-tech CEO who hopes to eliminate grief entirely, sparking a discussion about the outsourcing of grief to technology.
Insights from the “grief tech” industry on navigating loss – Marketplace
