Dying Man Creates AI Voice To Speak to Wife After Death
When Michael Bommer found out that he was dying of cancer, he spent a lot of time with his wife, Anett, talking about what would happen after his death.
She told him one of the things she'd miss most is being able to ask him questions whenever she wants because he is so well read and always shares his wisdom.
That conversation sparked an idea for Bommer: Recreate his voice using artificial intelligence to survive him after he passed away.
The 61-year-old startup entrepreneur, who lives in Berlin, teamed up with his friend in the US, Robert LoCascio, CEO of the AI-powered legacy platform Eternos. Within two months, they built "a comprehensive, interactive AI version" of Bommer — the company's first such client.
Eternos is among several companies that have emerged in the last few years in what's become a growing space for grief-related AI technology.
Eternos records users speaking 300 phrases — such as "I love you" or "the door is open" — to capture a person's voice. Users then train the AI system by answering questions about their lives, political views or aspects of their personalities.
The AI voice, which costs $15,000 to set up, can answer questions and tell stories about a person's life without repeating pre-recorded answers.
Bommer is excited about his AI personality and in the case of his 61-year-old wife, he doesn't think it would hamper her coping with loss.
"Think of it sitting somewhere in a drawer, if you need it, you can take it out, if you don't need it, just keep it there," he told her.
But Anett Bommer herself is more hesitant about whether she'll use the new software after her husband's death.
Right now, she imagines herself sitting on the couch sofa with a glass of wine, cuddling one of her husband's old sweaters and remembering him instead of talking to him via the AI voicebot — at least not during the first period of mourning.
"But then again, who knows what it will be like when he's no longer around," she said, taking her husband's hand and giving him a glance.
