It may sound like a scene from a “Black Mirror” episode. Nonetheless, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) now allow people to contact and converse with loved ones who have passed away.
Several businesses, including California-based HereAfterAI, are creating virtual copies of actual individuals using technology similar to that used to power AI chatbots and voice assistants. HereAfterAi, which is available as a mobile app, creates interactive avatars capable of communication using images, video interviews, and voice recordings.
DeepBrain AI raised $44 million in Series B funding, led by the Korea Development Bank and VC firm IMM, in August at a post-money valuation of $180 million. The Series B investors join existing investors including IDG Capital China, China’s biggest venture capital firm, CH & Partners, Donghun Investment II, L&S Venture Capital, and Posco Tech Investment, bringing Deepbrain AI’s total funding to roughly $52 million, according to Jang.
“In the long term, I think it is quite possible for DeepBrain AI to become a unicorn, recognized as an AI technology unicorn in the world among Korean startups,” DeepBrain AI CEO Eric Jang told TechNode Global. “We are profitable, and this year’s revenue is expected to reach about $7 million.”
Rememory creates virtual individuals with the faces, sounds, and expressions of the parents of users who have applied for this service using technologies such as audio and video synthesis, natural language processing, and speech recognition. It’s not simply their appearances that are similar. They can converse with human AI about old memories even after their parents have died because they conducted an interview with them before they died, created a scenario with numerous occurrences, and taught it to AI.
A similar service is provided by Amazon. Amazon recently introduced a new feature to bring the voices of deceased family members back to life through its voice assistant service, “Alexarough its voice assistant service, “Alexa.” Jang said DeepBrain AI is conducting a business to make and sell the profits of AI Human into non-fungible token (NFT) sculpture products when asked about its plan for the rest of 2022 and 2023.