Digital Necromancy

 When I first heard the term "digital necromancy" I couldn't fathom how this could be real, however digital necromancy is in fact real and a highly debated subject since the 2010s. The event that first sparked this debate was an ad released by Johnnie Walker in 2010 in which Bruce Lee, who had been deceased for 40 years, is shown selling the scotch.

Johnnie Walker's Bruce Lee ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYoQ1mCyCKo


Other examples include a 2011 Dior ad featuring Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Marlene Dietrich. 

Dior ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLaCc9wUqUs

This 'digital necromancy' is done through generative AI in which the user is able to conjure the dead from their digital footprint. One reason for the desire to use a dead celebrity in an advertise is that it is actually more cost effective to utilize a deceased celebrity via animation than to hire a living one to act in an advertisement. Beyond posthumous film and music appearances, the technology has also been used to "speak with the dead" as one story recounts a man who used Open AI's LLM to have conversations with his dead fiancé based on her texts and emails. 

Some, such as startups Here After and Replika have recognized the profitability of digital necromancy and use generative AI to reanimate loved ones for bereaved. 

Digital necromancy is a touchy and highly debated subject, as some feel it crosses an ethical line. Some feel that it "zombifies" and disrespects the dead, while others emphasize how people often reflext on what their deceased loved ones may have said to them in challenging or happy times. Personally, I felt uneasy about the idea of using AI to interact with the dead, until I reflected on recent instances where I have pondered what a deceased relative would say to me as I am getting ready to graduate, and also how many people associate relics with their deceased loved ones, and how I have done this, and suddenly my aversion to digital necromancy was not as black and white. There does seem to be a fine line between digital necromancy being commemorative and exploitative to grieving parties. One thing to keep in mind as digital necromancy continues to rise, is that there are simply conduits and not the loved one themself. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caelum Moor: “Please, No Witchcraft Park in Arlington”

Image
“Please, No Witchcraft Park in Arlington”      Caelum Moor , pink granite statues in Arlington, TX nicknamed "Texas' Stonehenge" made NBCDFW news in 2009 for their re-erection. But why were they controversial enough to be taken down in the first place?       The Caelum Moor environmental sculpture park was originally put up in 1984. The designer, Norm Hines, states that his vision in these sculptures was to feel as though viewers are in the Scottish Highlands. In 1996 Windstar Properties made a deal with Arlington officials to move the statues to a new site 1,400 feet from where they were so that they could build a shopping center on the property.        This deal was argued by some, such as minister Dena Smith, who accused the sculpture park of being a religious site and wanted the deal to go a step further and completely remove the stones from the city of Arlington. Smith claimed she had seen the statue park being used by witches...
Read more

Is Beyonce's “Beyhive” Fan Base a Coven?

Image
“When a witch has a coven it’s normally a small thing. Witch’s covens are normally three to seven people. When it becomes thousands it’s called a hive . Y’all a part of that lady Beyhive ?” -  Tiphani Montgomery, Pastor Image: https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/beyonce-accused-of-extreme-witchcraft/     For years r umors linking Beyonce to the occult have swirled, but these rumors peaked when Beyonce's former drummer of 7 years, Kimberley Thompson, filed a civil harassment restraining order against Beyonce for "extreme witchcraft." The restraining order, which was denied, accused Beyonce of stealing intellectual property and computer hard drives, tapping her phone and controlling her finances, as well as " magic spells of molestation, the murder of my pet kitten, and magic spells on my lovers ."      These accusations seem to resonate with complaints leading to accusations of witchcraft throughout the centuries. Thompson's blame of Beyonce for...
Read more

The Rise of Angel Numbers in Fashion and Social Media

Image
     Though angel numbers and numerology have had roots in various cultures for centuries, I, like many of my generation, did not know the significance of angel numbers until they started to grow popularity on social media through influencers such as Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber sporting angel number jewelry. After this, I began noticing the popularity of angel number jewelry, my "for you page" suddenly included posts about the poster seeing their angel numbers everywhere, and for the first time I began noticing/consciously aware of angel numbers in my own life.  Kylie Jenner wearing a 222 angel number necklace. Her mother, Kris Jenner, reported that Kylie had owned this necklace for 5 years prior, and just so happened to be wearing it on 2/2/22 when her son was born.  After learning about the presence and significance of angel numbers, I had to do more research. Numerology is the belief in an occult or divine relationship between a number and coinciding event...
Read more