Artificial intelligence is expanding in the bereavement care space through the development of “grief bots” designed to allow for virtual interaction with a deceased loved one. These new technologies are raising questions around both the potential benefits and unintended impacts.
AI-generated grief bots are created through audio or video clips, photos, emails, text messages or social meda posts. The AI systems create an interactive digital representation that replicates a person’s voice, behavior and likeness.
Grief bots are designed to help support bereaved individuals, but careful consideration must be given to potential areas of risk, said Keely Rhiannon, lead grief counselor at Michigan-based Angela Hospice. A balance of technology and human connection is critical, she stated.
“The idea of AI grief bots raises both intriguing possibilities and important concerns,” Rhiannon told Hospice News in an email. “It is important to maintain balance. Technology has created new pathways for connection and expression in grief, but it also requires individuals and providers to be thoughtful about how and when these tools are used. Technologies that simulate ongoing interaction with the deceased may complicate that process for some individuals, particularly if they blur the line between memory and presence.”
AI innovations
Sometimes referred to as “deadbots,” these new technologies are being developed by individuals and companies in various forms. In Canada, the “Dadbot” was created by sound designer, creator and podcaster Rebecca Nolan as an AI version of her deceased father, who was a physician.
Other companies forging ahead in the United States include the startup platform Hereafter.ai, which builds virtual AI interactions with deceased loved ones through audio recordings and photos. The new platform You, Only Virtual features Versona Voice, an AI tool that uses audio technology to generate phone calls with deceased loved ones. Founded by Justin Harrison, the platform partners with Microsoft, Google and Dell for technology infrastructure and hardware tools.
Another example of AI tools includes StoryFile, a memory-keeping app that creates an interactive AI video replica of a person through recorded footage. Additionally, Eternos, which rebranded as Uare.ai in 2025, creates a digital “twin” of users through data, communications and voice narratives.
For some individuals, the ability to interact with a digital representation of a loved one may offer comfort, Rhiannon stated. For example, grief bots could help to provide a sense of connection, particularly in the early stages of grief when the absence feels most acute, she explained. This can help to reduce isolation and provide opportunities for shared remembrance without geographic barriers or transportation challenges.
Hospices need to understand that families are increasingly using AI grief bots, with or without guidance and support from bereavement care teams, said Rebecca Feinglos, a certified grief support specialist. Feinglos is founder of the global online bereavement platform Grieve Leave and host of the Grief’d Up podcast.
Hospice providers are uniquely positioned to prepare families for what they might encounter, Feinglos said. The growing presence of AI grief tools may be referred through social media, targeted advertising or through friends.
AI grief bots mimic and reflect emotions back at the people using them, which can bring validation to users over time, she stated. However, for someone who is in a vulnerable state, this may complicate their grief even more, according to Feinglos.
“This is not a hypothetical future conversation; it’s happening in living rooms and on phones right now,” Feinglos told Hospice News in an email. “These tools aren’t without genuine value. The goal for hospices should be to be prepared to help families engage with them thoughtfully, with eyes open to both the possibilities and the risks. At their best, AI grief bots can offer a sense of connection and comfort when someone feels utterly alone in their loss. At their worst, they can create confusion about what’s real. Awareness doesn’t mean having all the answers; it means being able to show up for someone who is navigating this without judgment.”
Potential pitfalls
The rise of interactive grief bots requires significant thought from a grief care perspective, Rhiannon stated. Mourning involves gradually integrating the reality of a loved one’s loss while finding ways to carry the relationship forward internally, she said. This ability could potentially be challenged by having consistent, artificially-generated interaction.
Important to consider are the ethical questions around consent, representation and the emotional vulnerability of those experiencing grief, according to Rhiannon.
Emerging AI grief tools are often highlighted as ways to memorialize a person or preserve individuality and legacy. This framing matters, as it “sidesteps” the psychological and ethical weight of virtual simulations integrated into bereavement, Feinglos indicated.
The digital-afterlife industry will reach an estimated $80 billion by 2034, more than triple the value approximate of $22 billion reported in 2024, according to research published in the journal Wellbeing Sciences Review.
The value proposition of AI tools in the grief space presents opportunities for both innovation and risk, Feinglos said. Grief is validated as a process worth experiencing, not something to be optimized or avoided, she stated.
An important consideration is that bereaved individuals may have conflicting views about the use of AI grief bots, according to Feinglos.
“There is the question of who has the right to create an AI version of someone who has passed,” she told Hospice News. “One family member might find comfort in a bot of their parent, but another might be horrified by it. Hospices are already skilled at navigating the complicated, often conflicting needs within a grieving family. AI grief bots add a new layer of that complexity that teams should be prepared to address.”
Questions have mounted around a lack of regulation or clear guidelines related to AI innovation, particularly when it comes to safeguarding data privacy.
Important to navigating grief bot AI utilization is establishing guidelines for consent and privacy, said Niki Weiss, a digital legacy thanatologist and host of the podcast Death and Dying in the Digital Age. Weiss is founder and CEO of the advance care planning company ENDevo. She is the creator of the app My Final Playbook, which features end-of-life planning tools.
Many families and bereavement professionals do not understand the full scope of details when it comes to ownership of AI technology, or aspects of personal autonomy and utilization of private data, Weiss stated. Consent has become critical as AI tools gain capabilities to replicate a person’s voice, likeness or personality from their digital footprint, she said.
“People share deeply intimate stories, photos, health updates, and memories online, often without realizing that these digital lives are ultimately owned by platforms, not families,” Weiss told Hospice News in an email. “After death, loved ones may have little authority over what remains, how it’s used or whether it’s removed. Without explicit permission given while someone is alive, families and companies are left making irreversible decisions about a person’s posthumous digital presence.”
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