The virtual reality tool, called “Live Forever Mode,” features a digital avatar that can simulate a person's voice, mannerisms, and movements just 30 minutes after observing the user.
by Arthi Nachiappan, Technology Correspondent
Saturday 30 March 2024 14:22, UK
When technology entrepreneur Artur Shchev's father was diagnosed with cancer, he had to accept that he might soon never be able to speak again.
The 38-year-old knew he would do anything to have another parent-child conversation after his father's death.
Therefore, using artificial intelligencehe began working on ways he could make it happen for others in his position.
Artur has created a virtual reality tool called “Live Forever Mode.” It features a digital avatar that can simulate a person's voice, mannerisms, and movements after just 30 minutes of observing the user.
The goal is for the avatar to exist forever online as a memory of its creator, allowing future generations of family members to interact with it.
Arthur has a hard time finding the downside to it.
“You get to know the person,” he says. “You can hear their voices… You can talk to them about different topics and you can inject a little bit of their personality.
“And as time goes on, you'll actually become more and more accurate. It'll become more like them.”
This is just one of the many ways companies around the world are rethinking their relationship with the dead, but there are also concerns.
“It feeds into the fundamental anxiety that we have about the end of our existence,” says cyberpsychologist and author Elaine Caskett.
“Some people have a lot of anxiety about that…I think they have some concerns about using those really existential fears as a means to sell your product. Masu.”
Artur's company Somnium Space is trialling a “live forever mode” at its headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, ahead of its official launch.
Somnium Space is a 3D metaverse platform that users can access using virtual reality headsets. In this space, you exist as an avatar who can play games, create artwork, participate in events, and buy and sell virtual goods with other users.
Since its founding in 2017, it has already been downloaded 300,000 times, with around 50 to 250 users logging into the platform every day.
Artur himself uses this tool, and his avatar is styled as a blue robot.
“It's nostalgic,” says Arthur, wearing a digital headset.
“I'm actually Arthur,” his avatar replies.
The real Artur poses the challenge: “You know I am Artur. You are not Artur. Who are you?”
Avatar mocks him. “I see you're about to start a joke. It looks like you've been cut off. Do you want to end the joke?”
When I try out the technology myself, a user known as UltraLord “shakes” my avatar's hand and greets me with a virtual hug. Even though I don't feel anything physically, I feel like I'm being held.
The idea of carrying on a legacy is a driving force for some users.
Ultralord, who is based in Budapest, Hungary, says the concept of immortality is exciting.
“In a way, we all want to live forever in what we do, and we want our ideas and our legacy to live on for generations,” he says. To tell.
“So I get to actually create my ideas that future generations can look back on and like and say and talk about and think about. It's very exciting.”
He wants his avatar to outlive him so his future relatives can experience it.
Furthermore, he added: “Instead of my kids listening to me and having an idea of what I was like in the past, they can actually talk to me and find out what I was like, and they can will make children stronger in their sense of self. “
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Ultralord is aware that he is creating something that he cannot control after he dies, but he agrees with the idea.
“If it goes rigged, I don't really know what to do,” he says. “Well, I guess I can't do anything…”
The “Live Forever Mode” tool is expected to be officially released later this year, but unanswered questions remain.
The fees will be paid through subscription fees, but it is unclear how much that fee will be and who will pay it after the author's death.
Users can buy and sell virtual goods within the Metaverse, and avatars can continue to do so even after death if they sign up for permanent live mode. However, it is your responsibility to ensure that your family members can access your account and benefit from your post-death income.
Somnium Space says it doesn't keep any of the data used to train its avatars on its servers. Everything is stored locally on users' computers around the world, and you can control how much and how much you save.
However, what happens to personal data after death is a matter of debate.
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In fact, if someone with malicious intent obtains your information immediately after your death, and before your family has decided what to do with your data online, you could be impersonated and your data manipulated. Mr. Casket warns that there is a sex. He added that he could continue with his previous employment.
“If you're a lecturer at a university, the university will probably let you continue lecturing,” she added.
“There are no regulations regarding that, so it's questionable whether your family will be able to receive money from it.”
As technology evolves, we look to a future where we can extend our legacies online and connect with our lost loved ones in ways we never thought possible.
But it also comes with a caveat. We must also prepare for the far-reaching effects of these practices on our heritage and the real lives of our loved ones.
