This Terminally Ill Man Developed An AI Voice Program So His Family Can Have A Piece Of Him After He Passes Away
When someone we love passes away, sometimes, what we miss about them the most is the sound of their voice.
While there are a lot of debates surrounding AI technology and how it can bring back vivid memories of our late loved ones, people are becoming fascinated by one service that allows you to converse with someone even after they’ve passed.
That service is Eternos.life, an AI program that allows people to communicate with departed loved ones through voice recordings.
To get a better understanding of how Eternos.life works, they can learn the story of its first successful client, Michael Bommer, a 61-year-old software designer from Berlin, Germany, who wanted to do something special for his family after he found out he had colon cancer two years ago, and that his prognosis was terminal.
Michael is a father of four and wanted to ensure there’d be a way for his memories and stories to live on for his children, even long after he’s gone. He was approached by Robert LoCascio, a friend and businessman who works in AI.
Robert was in the middle of developing Eternos.life and asked if Michael would like to have an immortal voice through his program. Michael, a lover of technology, gladly agreed.
Working with “legacy advisors,” Michael completed several audio interviews where he answered hundreds of carefully selected questions and recorded hundreds of “training phrases” so the AI technology could capture the punctuation and emotion behind his natural speaking voice.
Through the hard work of computers and human editors, the Eternos program was able to generate a custom voice AI model for Michael that his family could communicate with for years to come.
Now, his family will be able to ask Michael, or a digital version of Michael, various kinds of questions and even have conversations with him through this software, and they’ll get to hear all of the generated answers in his voice.
ABCreative – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
For instance, after Michael’s AI model was complete, his wife did a test run by asking “Michael” through Eternos.life to say something nice to her before bed.
According to Eternos’ website, Michael’s AI voice model responded, “My love, have sweet dreams, and I love you very much. Have a peaceful sleep.” It was the kind of response Michael would actually give his wife.
Michael was the first participant in Eternos.life and has since expressed his gratitude for the service, stating in interviews that it will keep his legacy alive and provide his grieving family a source of comfort.
Additionally, Michael’s family will be able to learn more about him through his recorded memories, even if he’s not physically with them.
What do you think of this kind of program? Do you find it comforting, or are you weary of this kind of AI technology?
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