Masaki Iwasaki, "Digital clones of the deceased in mental health care: Promises and perils", Digital Health 11 (2025), 20552076251332839.
<Abstract>
This letter highlights the emerging practice of employing digital clones of deceased individuals in grief care, addressing both their potential therapeutic benefits and the ethical and legal complexities they raise. While such technologies may offer novel avenues for bereavement support, there is a potential need for robust posthumous consent mechanisms and regulatory oversight to ensure respect for dignity and privacy.
<Keywords>
Digital clones, conversational AI, grief care, data ethics, posthumous consent.
Masaki Iwasaki, "Digital clones of the deceased in mental health care: Promises and perils", Digital Health 11 (2025), 20552076251332839.
<Abstract>
This letter highlights the emerging practice of employing digital clones of deceased individuals in grief care, addressing both their potential therapeutic benefits and the ethical and legal complexities they raise. While such technologies may offer novel avenues for bereavement support, there is a potential need for robust posthumous consent mechanisms and regulatory oversight to ensure respect for dignity and privacy.
<Keywords>
Digital clones, conversational AI, grief care, data ethics, posthumous consent.