Americano Are we in an age of necromancy?
Nov 16, 2025
Katherine Dee, a technology correspondent for The Spectator World and Substack writer, joins to delve into AI-driven 'necromancy.' She discusses Two Way Eye, an app that projects deceased loved ones and raises ethical concerns about AI recreations. The conversation contrasts traditional memory-keeping with AI avatars, questioning authenticity. They explore how digital habits shape thought, the rise of digital orality, and the transformation of online fame. Plus, Katherine highlights how reliance on technology impacts skills and fuels nostalgia.
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Viral Grandmother App Ad
- Katherine Dee describes a viral commercial where an AI-version grandmother meets grandchildren via video call.
- She found the advert emotionally upsetting and disrespectful to both the deceased and the grieving.
Tech Recreates The Dead
- Tech companies are pushing necromancy-like apps that recreate deceased loved ones and present them as ongoing relationships.
- Katherine Dee warns this blurs boundaries between memory and a manufactured presence and sparks cultural conflict over what tech should extend.
Analog Memory Vs. Digital Avatars
- Families have long preserved ancestors through objects and texts, like advice books or letters.
- Dee questions whether AI avatars are materially different from those analog practices or a new, problematic category.
