OK, this sounds creepy. However, anyone who owns an Amazon Echo device (often referred to as “Alexa”) will understand how it works.

The Here After company in California has announced it is working on an Alexa-style “bot” that uses artificial intelligence (AI) software to let people “talk” with deceased friends and relatives. The device uses voice recordings made before a person dies to create the bot. Loved ones later can talk, joke, and reminisce with the bot, as if the friend or relative is still alive.

The company begins by conducting interviews with clients, in which they are encouraged to talk about their lives. Simply by speaking, Here After users can hear the recorded replies of loved ones—their real stories, songs, and sayings; their actual voices. (Check out the video at https://youtu.be/bFR1BJGi6PU.)

The Here After company states, “Our goal is to capture the true spirit of people and to enable their stories to become immortal.”

Their responses are then edited, categorized and divided into sections such as “falling in love” or sentiments such as “happy” or “story about stressful moment”. This data is transferred to an app, which friends and family can access via a phone or smart speaker.

You can learn more at Here After’s web site at: https://www.hereafter.ai.