Ghost in the machine: Can an AI version of the dead help us mourn?

In the quiet solitude of a late evening, a mother sits at her computer, typing messages to her dead daughter. But here’s a twist: The dead daughter is texting back too. It’s not magic. The mother is using an AI-powered chatbot that has scanned through the daughter’s archives of texts, comments and audio clips, and has learnt to respond just like her – down to the speech patterns and catchphrases. Is she real? No. But she’s a dead ringer, just similar enough to help Mum grieve.