Diseases like cancer kill approximately 10 million people in the world, based on Our World in Data, and scientists are still trying to find a cure for this destructive illness.
Some people believe immortality can only be achieved through religion, but now technology is advancing rapidly, and with it, bringing a new scientific view of life and death.
Michael Bommer, a 60-year-old German man with terminal cancer, knows he will leave his loved ones behind. However, he will, in a sense, always be with them.
Bommer was approached by Eternos, an AI-powered legacy platform that said it would create a full, interactive AI version of him, allowing family and friends to participate with his life events and ideas via video.
He could not resist and took up this offer.
“This lifelike model responds to questions about his life, decisions, and can even generate new ideas,” Eternos said. “We are motivated by the desire to create lasting legacies beyond mere photos and documents.”
This is how the company crafted the AI version of Bommer:
Michael recorded 300 training phrases.
These phrases were used to convey all of the emotion, intonation, and pronunciation of his real speaking voice.
The training sentences were then processed by neural voice AI technology.
This method required roughly three days of 24-hour computing power and some more human editing. The bespoke speech AI model built from his voice samples is used to provide responses in his real voice.
An Eternos legacy advisor assisted Michael in capturing his memories by presenting him with a list of 150 carefully selected questions.
He used his mobile device’s voice recording app to record his thoughts and recollections at his own speed over several weeks. He will continue to share his ideas and recollections as long as he is able.
When Michael and his wife were shown the AI, they posed questions regarding Michael’s life, family, and career. His wife even asked AI Michael to say something nice before going to bed.
“My love, have sweet dreams and I love you very much. Have a peaceful sleep,” it said.
The human Bommer said the organisation helped him find closure to the story of his life.
“It took this closure and made it available for my wife and kids. Even for my grandkids which are not yet here. It is a feeling of great relief.”
IOL