Lonely woman with smart phone sitting on floor in dark room. By New Africa/stock.adobe.com
The following is an excerpt from Foundation for the Storm: Theological Hope for Life in this Fractured World By Paula Veal
In 2013, the popular Netflix series Black Mirror released an episode entitled “Be Right Back,” which foreshadowed an industry that recreates deceased loved ones using artificial intelligence. The main character, Martha, suddenly loses her husband, Ash, in a tragic accident.
Grief consumes Martha, so she begins texting an AI version of him. She later “levels up” to talking with AI Ash over the phone and eventually purchases an “Ashbot,” a physical replica of her husband. Despite her hope for a renewed relationship, she eventually realizes the bot is only a shadow of Ash, unable to truly replace him.
Thirteen years ago, this story felt fantastical. Today, however, opportunities exist for a person to create and converse with a digital version of a deceased loved one using AI avatars called griefbots or deathbots. The robotics industry continues releasing upgraded products, so the potential for a real “Ashbot” exists in the not-too-distant future.
What if Martha walked into her local church and asked to talk to a pastor about her grief? What if she brought up the idea of griefbots and her deep desire to talk to her husband again? What loving, theologically sound, culturally relevant answer could the pastor give?
The Unavoidability of Grief
Live long enough in this broken world and grief will find you. The right response to the death of a loved one includes a season of mourning. People grieve because the person they loved disappeared from their lives.1 No more conversations, asking for advice, participation in major life events, or new memories.
But what if the relationship could continue after death?
Companies such as Project December, Replika, HereAfter AI, and You, Only Virtual (YOV) offer services like those in “Be Right Back” for those facing impending death and the bereaved wishing to fill the void left by their loved ones.
As the world rushes ahead with AI technology, the church must not ignore the direction the culture is heading. Technology experts warn against the unbridled expansion of AI, and theologians need to add their voice to the discussion.
As Paul warned the church in Corinth: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive” (1 Cor 10:23). The Digital Afterlife Industry (DAI) needs a close examination from an orthodox Christian perspective regarding the dignity of every human, God’s mandate for humanity, issues that arise from DAI, and the one true hope for eternal life.
Upholding the Dignity of Every Human
Secularists and Christians agree that every human possesses inherent dignity. Most people recognize the “wrongness” of dehumanizing an individual based on ethnicity, gender, age, or capabilities.
Article 1 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
Christians root this dignity in the fact that God creates every person in his image (Gen. 1:27). Human dignity begins at conception and continues even after death. God assigns this image-bearing nature to every human, whether the person believes or rejects their Creator.2
To be human is to be made in the image of God, body and soul. This distinguishes a true human from an AI replica.3 The current iteration of griefbots possesses neither body nor soul, so can never truly be the one it impersonates.
No matter how advanced the technology, scientists can never create a soul. While a griefbot may seem like a digital “resurrection” of the deceased, only one true resurrection will ever occur.
Respect Matters Even for the Deceased
The inherent dignity every human possesses means each person deserves respect. Scripture commands people to respect their parents (Ex 20:12), the elderly (Lev 19:32), and earthly masters (Eph 6:5). Peter even implores his readers to respect everyone for the Lord’s sake (1 Pet 2:17). This respect must not end at death because, as CS Lewis states, “You have never met a mere mortal.”
At this point, Christians and secularists agree again. Archaeological and historical records reveal the care given to the bodies of deceased individuals within most cultures. Desecration usually only occurred as a sign of disrespect toward enemies. Today, respect for the deceased includes rightly caring for their “remains,” both physical and digital.
Digital remains include things such as social media posts, photos, writing, recordings, and other technological items an individual leaves behind. While these are not the person themselves, these items represent the personality, beliefs, and character of the individual.
AI now has the capability of creating a video of a deceased individual and putting words in his mouth that he would never have said in real life. This leads to the potential of misusing the digital remains which disrespects the person’s memory and character after death.
Consent vs. Commodity
One of the most frequently discussed issues surrounding griefbots is consent. Currently, no regulations exist for the DAI regarding the consent of anyone involved. The following scenarios highlight the issue:
- A grandchild posthumously creates a griefbot of his grandfather, who never agreed for his likeness and voice to be used digitally.Â
- A woman with a terminal diagnosis creates a digital avatar of herself, which is sent to her sister after death. Her sister feels uncomfortable interacting with it, but continues to receive communication from the company despite her attempts to cancel.Â
- Finally, a father creates a griefbot of his deceased child, but later decides he no longer wants to interact with it. The company refuses to decommission the griefbot and retains all the data he uploaded.
In each scenario, one entity makes a choice that impacts others without their consent. The one making the choice turns the griefbot into a commodity for their own benefit and ignores others’ desires.
Scripture says Christians must value others above themselves and look out for the interests of others first and foremost (Phil 2:3-4). Believers are called to do everything for the Lord, not for themselves (Col 3:17; 1 Cor 10:31). These scriptural commands stand in contrast to the DAI’s current method of operation and lack of consideration to all parties involved.
Getting Stuck in Unhealthy Grief
Grief takes time and looks different for each person. It involves facing the reality of the loss and admitting the emotions that come with it. Griefbots threaten to interrupt the natural process of mourning and may cause the individual to deny their new reality. People could become stuck in their loss, unable to move forward with their lives if they refuse to face reality and accept their emotions.4
Not enough studies exist regarding the use of griefbots to understand their effects on those who engage with them to cope with the loss of a loved one. Researchers encourage limiting griefbot use to settings supervised by a trained counselor or psychologist. This wards against addiction and steers the grieving individual toward healthy grief coping methods.
Grief will always be difficult this side of heaven, but God will never force people to walk that road alone. Instead of turning to counterfeit relationships, God longs for his children to turn to him.
Scripture reveals God’s heart for those who mourn and his ever-present help in trouble (Lam 3:32; Matt 5:4; Ps 46:1). The Bible provides examples of laments in which God’s people cry out to him in complaint, asking, and trust.5 God comforts his people in their grief so they can comfort others to an extent the DAI could never provide (2 Cor 1:4).
Grievers Need Tangible Community
The Triune God created humans to love and encourage one another in community. Since Genesis 3, however, humanity’s sinful nature makes relationships difficult.
Humans can be unpredictable, hurtful, and complicated, so individuals sometimes turn to AI for comfort and counsel without fear of the technology rejecting them. People often find emotions like sadness uncomfortable, so they tend to avoid those experiencing grief. This causes sufferers, who already feel lonely, to sink deeper into isolation.
Sadly, the church often reflects this attitude and celebrates those who act “strong” or “brave” in the face of grief. In these cases, griefbots become a tempting alternative to facing callous Christians who spout Romans 8:28 at every sufferer or expect a griever to “be over it by now.”
It is good to rejoice with those who rejoice, but God also calls his people to grieve with those who grieve (Rom 12:15). The church must move toward those in sorrow and serve as a safe place for people to ask questions and express emotions. A griefbot will never replace the ministry of physical presence, a much-needed hug, or looking someone straight in the eye and saying, “I see you, and I love you.”
Imagined Versus True Eternal Life
Humans have been striving to “reverse the curse” of the Fall on our own since Genesis 3.6 The very first sin occurred when man and woman believed they knew better than God. They chose what looked good to them instead of trusting God’s best.
The false promise of “eternal life” presented by the Digital Afterlife Industry is just the most recent attempt of sinners to chase what looks good in their own eyes. Nonetheless, the 1s and 0s of computer programming remain incapable of offering true life after death.
The pain of loss casts a shadow across this world, but it will not always be so for God’s people. Believers grieve, but not without hope (1 Thess 4:13). Jesus Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension broke the curse of sin for all those saved by grace through faith. God promises to eliminate death, mourning, crying, and pain in the new heavens and new earth (Rev 21:1-4).
All believers who died in Christ will experience true resurrection, be reunited in body and soul, and reconnect with those whom they lost. God’s people will be with him forever and experience true eternal life together. That’s the afterlife our heavenly Father created us to experience. Let’s not settle for anything less.
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Notes:
[1] Mary-Francis O’Connor, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2022), 60.
[2] Todd Korpi, AI Goes to Church: Pastoral Wisdom for Artificial Intelligence (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2025), 55.
[3] The Holy See, “Antiqua et Nova: Note on the Relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence,” Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education, ratified January 14, 2025, accessed April 1, 2026. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20250128_antiqua-et-nova_en.html
[4] O’Connor, The Grieving Brain, 135.
[5] Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019) 29.
[6] Korpi, AI Goes to Church, 27.
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