What's important is not the brain or body, but the information itself. This is a view articulated most prominently in 1984 by philosopher Derek Parfett. It makes people less like the Mona Lisa and more like a copyable file. Anything who's survival doesn't depend on a particular thing existing in the world. And its mortality is why we need AIs if we want our loved ones to survive.
When Justin’s mom was diagnosed with cancer, he knew he wanted to keep talking to her after she died. So together they made an AI version of her, training it on her speech patterns and memories. Now he is scaling his findings so that anyone can continue their relationships with loved ones after their deaths. Justin even believes this can one day lead to digital immortality.
Grief experts are only now dealing with bereaved people who create digital versions of their loved ones. We look at what they say about the phenomenon, and what philosophers think about whether the best AI version of a person can actually be them.
Co-produced with Alexandra Salmon, guests include Justin Harrison, CEO of You, Only Virtual, Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor, and Dr. Debra Bassett.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices