South Korean virtual human developer DeepBrain AI has inked a deal to produce “AI memorial services” for funeral services firm Preedlife centered on virtual versions of the person having a funeral. Deepbrain calls the synthetic recreation a Rememory and is pitching the concept as a way for those who loved the person who passed away to have one last reunion.

REMEMORY MEMORIAL

Rememory uses DeepBrain’s technology to simulate human faces and voices as digital replicas that mimic the way someone moves and speaks. The AI builds the visual and audio models from long video interviews with the person they plan to recreate. A script of words and movements can then be fed into the model, and the AI will perform it as much like the human original as possible. The virtual human avatars are used as marketers, news anchors, virtual bank tellers and educators. Interest from mourners and those facing death has apparently now grown enough to spark the new arrangement with Preedlife, which offers 30-minute sessions with the AI creation ahead of the funeral service.

“This will be an opportunity to popularize AI memorial services and expand a new funeral culture,” Deepbrain CEO Eric Jang said.

Coincidentally, fellow synthetic video startup Storyfile has begun experimenting with almost the exact same idea. Marina Smith’s AI avatar was on-hand to interact with guests at her own funeral, thanks to her son, StoryFile CEO Stephen Smith. In that case, the avatar conversed with all the attendees, answering questions about Smith’s life from recordings made before she passed away. Storyfile has described the AI characters as a way to preserve the memories of people and events for the future, even if it’s only to say goodbye.