“I think you have to keep one foot solidly in the camp of, this is a replication echo. It is not actually a digital version of the person that I loved."

In this episode of Grief'd Up, host Rebecca Feinglos welcomes her best friend, Brooke Hartley Moy, CEO of Infactory and seasoned tech leader, to explore the surprising and  complex intersections of artificial intelligence and grief. The conversation ventures into uncharted grief support territory as they examine how AI is changing, and will continue to change, how we remember, memorialize, and interact with the people we've lost.

Rebecca and Brooke discuss the ethical complexities of creating AI avatars of the dead, drawing parallels between modern technology and historical rituals like mummification and photography. They explore uncomfortable questions: Would Rebecca want an AI version of her late father? What happens when one family member wants to preserve a loved one's memory through AI, but another finds it disturbing?

The conversation touches on the psychology of memory, the dangers of AI hallucinations in grief contexts, and how this technology could either help people process loss or trap them in an artificial past. Rebecca and Brooke also share personal moments from their 20+ year friendship, including the grief they still carry about missing a Kelly Clarkson concert in high school (thanks to Rebecca getting grounded), and how they've supported each other through breakups, deaths, and life transitions.

Join Rebecca and Brooke as they navigate the ethical, emotional, and technological frontiers of grief in the age of AI.

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