Technology exists today which allows you to have a conversation with the avatar of your loved one beyond the grave! Creepy.

Before they pass away, your loved one is interviewed for about six hours and is asked about everything, big to small, and then a chatbot is created which you can speak with that sounds exactly like him or her! A robot can even be created to look like them! Confronting.

With me, your loved one is interviewed for as long as you like and is asked about everything, big to small, and then a beautiful life story book is created which you can read and hear their voice, whenever you like, forever. Comforting.

I heard about this artificial intelligence technology on ABC Sydney Radio last Wednesday. I called in to chat to Sarah Macdonald and her guest, Gail MacCallum, about how I also help families ‘hold history’ and pass down stories of resilience, but with a human touch, with my life story books. You can listen to the 21-minute segment, called Can technology help us connect with those we’ve lost, here (I come in at the 16-minute mark): https://www.abc.net.au/sydney/programs/mornings/grief-tech/102241154

I’m all for technology, but for me, a nice warm cuppa and a book beat a robot any day!