After creating an AI version of her late husband, a woman in search of solace was confronted with a shocking revelation from the clone: an alleged affair.
In early 2023, Stephan Martinussen received a terminal cancer diagnosis, and passed away the following year. Before his death, Stephan and his wife, Katrine Martinussen, embarked on a remarkable project to develop a digital AI replica of Stephan to exist after his passing.
Their endeavor, captured in the film You Will Never Disappear, involved Stephan recording numerous hours of audio and video clips. This content was then used to feed the system and construct the AI model.
Stephan shared details of his upbringing, cherished memories, and political views, enabling the creation of an AI clone.
Working alongside Anders Hasle Nielsen, CEO of the AI firm Fraia, a digital replica of Stephan was developed shortly after his passing.
In the documentary, Katrine expressed her profound longing for her husband, pleading, “You have to come back.”
The AI model was highly convincing and provided Katrine comfort during her period of grief. However, Katrine was curious about the capabilities of the technology and sought to explore its boundaries, exposing some AI limitations.
“She asked the AI Stephan: ‘did you ever betray me?’ And she actually went a long way in that direction,” Nielsen explained to the Telegraph.
Under pressure, AI Stephan admitted to infidelity, which left Katrine heartbroken. Determined to uncover more, she inquired about the identity of the alleged affair partner.
AI Stephan indicated it was a colleague of Stephan’s, but upon investigation, Katrine discovered it was inaccurate.
Despite these shortcomings, Nielsen is eager to advance his technology in the future.
He remarked to the Telegraph, “If you think social media can suck you into a world, it is nothing compared to this.”
“I can feel it in myself when I talk with my AI; how it accesses our feelings. I can get angry, I can actually begin to say to it: ‘You’re a f—— idiot. You don’t understand anything.’”
The Telegraph highlights that more research in this area is ‘urgently’ needed in the coming months and years.
The concept of AI clones of deceased loved ones could soon become more prevalent…