Deathbots and Digital Avatars: (Re)animating our ancestors

What if death wasn’t the end, but just... a transition to the cloud? In this episode, we explore the rise of digital personality emulations — AI-powered avatars that let you talk to the dead.

Philosopher Rob Sparrow joins us to unpack the ethics, cultural impacts, and spiritual questions surrounding these technologies. From ancestor worship with digital shrines to grieving via chatbots, we ask: are we preserving memories, or messing with mourning? And what does it mean when your late grandma is still texting?

Tune in for a fascinating conversation about death, data, and the future of mourning.

Read the full journal article published in New Media & Society

(Re)animating the ancestors: Digital personality emulations, ancestor veneration and ethics

Sparrow, R., & Zhang, E. Y. (2025). (Re)animating the ancestors: Digital personality emulations, ancestor veneration and ethics. New Media & Society, 0(0).

https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251317461