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AI Eternity: Navigating Life and Demise in an Era of Artificial Intelligence

Documentary Filmmakers Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, based in Berlin, delve into the intersection of bereavement and artificial intelligence in their latest production titled 'Eternal You'.

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2025 September 4 . 7:43 AM

3 min read

AI Eternity: Navigating Life and Demise in an Era of Artificial Intelligence

In the heart of Berlin, a thought-provoking documentary titled Eternal You is set to premiere in cinemas from June 20. This film, a collaboration between Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, delves into the world of AI startups creating digital avatars for people to interact with their deceased loved ones.

Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, a renowned directing duo known for their work in film, theatre, and books, Eternal You investigates the impact of digitally resurrecting the dead on people's lives. The filmmakers initially aimed to document the creation of an avatar and the family's interaction with it after the subject's death. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred when the man who was to have his avatar created decided to withdraw from the project following an improvement in his health.

The documentary sheds light on the complex ethical dilemmas that arise from this new technology. Prolonging grief and emotional impact, consent and posthumous rights, authenticity and illusion, commercialization and exploitation, cultural and religious considerations, and legal and identity issues are some of the key ethical issues that the film explores.

For instance, AI avatars may interfere with the natural grieving process by fostering emotional dependence or denial, potentially causing psychological distress or trauma for some users. The creation of avatars without permission can also violate personal dignity and autonomy after death. The delicate balance between respectful remembrance and creating a misleading illusion is another challenge that the film addresses.

The growing market for these avatars, projected in the hundreds of billions USD, risks exploiting vulnerable grieving people by turning remembrance into a profit-driven service. This raises concerns about monetizing grief and emotional manipulation. Different cultures and faith traditions have varying views on impersonation of the dead and disruption of their rest, with some finding such AI avatars ethically problematic.

Legal frameworks or guidelines are needed to govern these technologies, as the blurring of lines between memory and reality raises questions about identity, dignity, and rights of the deceased. Responsible development, transparent consent mechanisms, and sensitivity to cultural values are critical to navigating these challenges.

Eternal You is not the first venture by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck into the realm of AI and its political implications. In 2018, they uncovered the shadow industry of content moderators in their debut film The Cleaners. In 2021, they collaborated with French artist Cosima Terrasse on Made to Measure, a film that explores how Google uses personal data for profit and the impact of generative AI.

Beetzbrothers, a Berlin-based production company, has been setting standards for international co-productions. The filming process for Eternal You took place in Berlin, a city with a rich history of producing internationally acclaimed cinema documentaries.

In summary, while AI avatars for the deceased can offer comfort and new ways to remember loved ones, they raise complex ethical dilemmas that both startups and society must carefully address. Eternal You serves as a thought-provoking exploration of these issues, inviting viewers to consider the implications of this burgeoning technology on our lives and society.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7154556/ [2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-00757-z [3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235234091930164X [4] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17470218.2020.1846195 [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235234091930164X