AI can make the dead talk – why this doesn’t comfort us

AI does not simply revive, but rewrites, repurposes and redistributes the dead. And this is marked by a lingering sadness.

By: Tom Divon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Christian Pentzold, University of Leipzig, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 19, 2026

Words: 1,417

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Tom Divon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Christian Pentzold, University of Leipzig

For as long as humans have buried their dead, they’ve dreamed of keeping them close. The ancient Fayum portraits – those stunningly lifelike images wrapped in Egyptian mummies – captured faces meant to remain present even after life had left the body.

Effigies across cultures served the same purpose: to make the absent present, to keep the dead around in …

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