Grieving in the Age of AI: Psychological Foundations, Ethical Implications, and the Ai-ternal-me Approach

AbstractThis paper explores the psychology of grief, current technological approaches to post-mortem interaction, and introduces the Ai-ternal-me model as a more ethically grounded and psychologically informed alternative. Drawing from theories of bereavement and mourning, we propose that Ai-ternal-me offers a co-created, reflective, and values-driven experience that supports rather than replaces the grieving process. We argue that traditional digital avatars based on surface-level data (e.g., videos, text, social media) lack the depth needed to foster healthy emotional healing, and we situate Ai-ternal-me within an evolving ethical landscape of memory preservation and digital afterlife technologies. In the face of prevalent concerns regarding consent, privacy, and potential exploitation, Ai-ternal-me champions a model of unwavering transparency, user autonomy, and sustainable accessibility, ensuring technology serves genuine human needs in a profoundly respectful manner.