AI Grief Tech
Bereaved South Koreans Use AI Videos to Recreate Deceased, Raising Ethical Concerns
A South Korean startup called Vaice is turning old photos and videos of the dead into AI-generated video messages for grieving families. Last December, 28-year-old office worker Lee Geon-hui commissioned the company to create a digital video of his late grandfather as a gift for his father. His father "shed tears" watching it, The Seattle Times reported.
South Korea has quietly become the world capital of so-called "grief tech." TV shows have already revived deceased pop stars and folk legends using AI. Now private startups are bringing the same technology to ordinary families — at a fraction of the cost. But experts are asking hard questions about what that means for the living.
From TV Spectacle to Family Living Rooms
South Korea's digital resurrection industry started big and public. In February 2020, broadcaster MBC aired a documentary in which a grieving mother named Jang Ji-sung was reunited with a VR version of her seven-year-old daughter, who had died in 2016. That single clip has since racked up over 33 million views on YouTube, according to Yahoo News.
TV networks followed with more recreations. Broadcaster SBS revived the voice of folk legend Kim Kwang-seok to sing new material in January 2021. Music channel Mnet staged a hologram concert featuring the late singer Turtleman. As generative AI got cheaper and faster, the technology moved off TV screens and into private homes — driven by startups like Vaice and DeepBrain AI, WRAL reported.
How the Technology Works — and What It Costs
Vaice creates shorter, more affordable video messages using existing photos and footage of the deceased. Clients often play these videos during family gatherings or holidays, according to New Times. The startup's CEO, Seung-woo Kwak, frames the product as a "comfort" and a "gift" for the living.
At the premium end, Seoul-based DeepBrain AI charges between $12,000 and $24,000 to build a full interactive digital twin — a process that requires a seven-hour recorded interview before the person dies. Sessions in a private memorial showroom then cost around $1,200 each. The global grief tech market is projected to reach $80 billion by 2034, according to The Independent.
A "Double-Edged Sword" for Vulnerable Grievers
Not everyone sees these videos as healthy. Yong Man Ro, an AI expert at South Korea's KAIST university, calls the technology a "double-edged sword" because it directly manipulates deep human emotions, The Seattle Times reported. Some psychologists warn that the videos could prevent grieving people from ever fully accepting that their loved one is gone.
Critics worry about what researchers call "pathological mourning" — a state where a person becomes trapped in a digital loop with a simulation instead of processing loss in a healthy way. There are also fears about AI behaving in ways the deceased never would have, creating what some call a "digital haunting," according to WRAL.
South Korea's Laws Haven't Caught Up Yet
South Korea has no specific law defining who owns a dead person's digital likeness. There are no rules about whether families can legally commission these videos without the deceased's consent. Research by Seoul National University's Dr. Masaki Iwasaki found that public acceptance sits at 58% when the person consented before death — but collapses to just 3% if they had explicitly said no, Yahoo News reported.
Lawmakers are beginning to act. A bill introduced by Rep. Kwon Chil-seung in July 2026 addressed the use of deceased patients' medical data, but broad "posthumous personality rights" laws are still pending, according to The Independent. Until clear rules exist, families, startups, and the courts are all navigating a legal void.
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