Dr. Nikki Mirghafori enters the deep and evolving terrain of grief, mortality, and emerging technology. Drawing on her dual expertise as an AI scientist and an empowered Buddhist teacher, she explores the ethics and emotional dimensions of grief tech—from “griefbots” and AI-generated afterlives to the speculative reality of mind‑uploading and digital immortality. What happens when algorithms attempt to recreate memory, presence, or companionship beyond death? Nikki invites us to consider how technology can deepen or distort our mourning, situating these innovations within a Buddhist-informed framework of wisdom, compassion, and impermanence. This dialogue bridges the technological frontier and the human heart, offering a profoundly grounded perspective on the intersection of grief and AI.
Meet the speakers here: https://aiandfaith.org/aif-podcast/ai-and-grief-nikki-mirghafori/

Views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of AI and Faith or any of its leadership.

Production: Pablo Salmones and Penny Yuen

Host: Pablo Salmones

Guest: Nikki Mirghafori

Editing: Isabelle Braconnot

Music from #UppbeatLicense code: 1ZHLF7FMCNHU39