The Digital Afterlife Startup Craze and The Digital Afterlife of Hollywood
A growing wave of startups has promised to keep conversations alive with loved ones long after they are gone by creating custom AI agents that do more than replay old memories, but generate entirely new conversations. These “generative ghosts” move beyond simple chatbots by offering ongoing exchanges that point to a future where our digital selves can live on and engage with those we leave behind. At the same time, AI-powered photography has been animating still images for several years, bringing archival photos and family portraits to life with movement and expression, a trend I have covered since its earliest days. Hollywood, for its part, has been experimenting with digital resurrection and photorealistic CGI for decades, blending technology and storytelling in ways that continue to push the boundaries of memory, media, and identity.
https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7502422515503942934&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40gingerliu2020%2Fvideo%2F7502422515503942934&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-pu-sign-no.tiktokcdn-eu.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-no1a-p-0037-no%2Fo0BvTGAwpcBIlYZh4U4pMiX4HBrBxiEaAzAq8%3Flk3s%3Db59d6b55%26x-expires%3D1746972000%26x-signature%3DGQhkhE2bt1Ybr0F61yrj7geK1wM%253D%26shp%3Db59d6b55%26shcp%3D-&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktokGinger Liu
In a recent research paper, Meredith Ringel Morris of Google DeepMind and Jed Brubaker of the University of Colorado Boulder introduce the term “generative ghosts” to describe a next-gen leap in digital afterlife tech. While griefbots might replay a loved one’s old messages, generative ghosts can riff in real time, generating fresh, in-character responses, even about events that happened after the person’s death. Think of it as an AI that doesn’t just echo the past, but evolves, adapts, and even participates in the world. Generative ghosts can answer your questions about today’s headlines as your late grandmother might, or handle complex tasks online with minimal oversight. Unlike traditional griefbots, these digital ghosts might be created by the person as part of end-of-life planning, or even exist as “generative clones” before death and transition into a generative ghost after. And their purpose isn’t limited to comforting the bereaved. Generative ghosts could serve as advisors, collaborators, or even digital workers, opening up a whole new design space for AI afterlives.
As these platforms go mainstream, they promise comfort, connection, and even practical help with estate management. But they also raise tough questions about privacy, mental health, and who controls your digital ghost long after you’re gone.
The study highlights the potential for delayed or complicated grief as people form addictive or parasocial bonds with AI versions of lost loved ones, something I wrote about two years ago. There is also the risk of emotional harm if the AI “ghost” malfunctions, hallucinates false memories, or reveals private information the deceased never intended to share. There are also security threats, including identity theft, ransomware attacks, and malicious use by creators or hackers who could hijack a digital ghost to harass or manipulate the living. The technology could also trigger reputational damage if an AI ghost inadvertently exposes secrets or makes offensive statements based on incomplete or biased data. On a broader scale, experts warn that widespread adoption could reshape social and economic norms, affecting everything from employment to spiritual beliefs. The study calls for clear safeguards, such as “kill switches,” to prevent abuse, but notes that deleting a generative ghost could itself cause renewed grief for survivors.
https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F0x7Ay8zflfk%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0x7Ay8zflfk&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F0x7Ay8zflfk%2Fhqdefault.jpg&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtubeGinger Liu
Digital Afterlife Startup Craze
Startups across the globe are seizing the commercial potential of AI-powered digital replicas, driving the growth of digital afterlives. American platforms like Storyfile and HereAfter AI let users record hours of interviews to create interactive virtual versions of themselves or loved ones, complete with voices, photos, and memories that can be accessed after death. Project December, Character.ai, and MIT’s Augmented Eternity are pushing the boundaries, letting users chat with digital twins that can evolve, respond to current events, and even act as companions.
But the digital afterlife craze isn’t limited to the West. In China, companies like Super Brain and Silicon Intelligence are leading the way, offering families the chance to “revive” lost relatives as hyperrealistic avatars or chatbots. These tools are especially popular in China, where animated family portraits are trending on apps like TikTok. Platforms like Wondershare Virbo, DreamVid, HitPaw, and Cutout.pro use advanced facial recognition and motion prediction to bring old family photos to life, letting users relive cherished moments or share animated memories on social media.
South Korea’s DeepBrain AI has partnered with funeral homes for immersive memorial services, while Japan and Taiwan are weaving digital ancestors into traditional rituals. In East Asia, where ancestor veneration is part of daily life, these technologies are catching on faster than anywhere else, blending cultural tradition with next-gen AI.
The Digital Afterlife of Hollywood
Hollywood has increasingly turned to artificial intelligence to resurrect dead actors for new roles, blurring the line between nostalgia and innovation. A prime example is James Dean, who died 70 years ago, is set to star in the upcoming sci-fi film Back to Eden. AI technology can reconstruct his likeness, voice, and mannerisms from archival footage and photos. This marks a major shift from earlier digital resurrections, such as Peter Cushing’s return as Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Carrie Fisher and Paul Walker’s posthumous appearances in Star Wars and Furious 7.
AI companies and VFX studios driving this trend include WorldwideXR, which specializes in digital replicas of celebrities. They use generative AI and CGI to create “virtual actors” who can perform new scenes, deliver lines never spoken in life, and interact with living cast members.
AI startups in China have produced viral AI-generated videos of deceased stars like Coco Lee and Qiao Renliang, causing outrage among fans. But as AI-generated actors become more sophisticated and autonomous, Hollywood faces new legal and ethical questions about legacy, consent, and the future of performance.
In 2025, Hollywood tightened protections for actors’ digital identities, with SAG-AFTRA’s new contracts requiring explicit, informed consent from performers or their estates before any digital replica or AI-generated performance can be used. California’s AB 1836 bill, effective this year, makes it illegal to use a deceased performer’s likeness or voice without estate approval, while New York’s Digital Replica Contracts Act voids unauthorized digital likeness agreements. Together, these laws and union rules ensure actors and their families control their digital legacies, setting a clear industry standard as studios and tech companies race to resurrect stars on screen.
The Digital Afterlife of Work
In the workplace, companies like Digital Samba and Infinity Connect are rolling out AI-driven video conferencing platforms that let users appear as hyper-realistic avatars or digital twins, combining facial recognition, real-time language translation, and motion capture to make remote meetings more engaging and lifelike. These platforms automate note-taking, summarize meetings, and schedule follow-ups, while others experiment with virtual and augmented reality to create immersive 3D meeting spaces where digital replicas can collaborate as if they were physically present. I could go on about AI replicas in the workplace, but there are so many startups in this space, and let’s face it, work is boring, so I will end here.
Three years ago, when I wrote about AI death tech and companion startups, generative AI photography, and a Hollywood workforce concerned about losing jobs, there seemed to be a lot of scepticism in the air. This year, the generative AI air is different. The new AI revolution has been accepted, and new AI startups are being created as fast as you can say “all going bust.” This is the revolution cycle. One that tussles with business and consumers until the revolution wins.
Startups building AI digital replicas are riding a wave of explosive growth as the generative AI market surges toward an estimated $62.7 billion in 2025, with projections showing the broader AI industry reaching as high as $757 billion this year and potentially $3.6 trillion by 2034.
Ginger Liu is the founder of Hollywood’s Ginger Media & Entertainment, a researcher in artificial intelligence and visual arts media, and an entrepreneur, author, writer, artist, photographer, and filmmaker. Listen to the Podcast — The Digital Afterlife of Grief.
