Are we witnessing the birth of a new kind of séance—one powered by code, not candles? A growing number of people are turning to advanced AI chatbots—so-called “griefbots”—to simulate conversations with lost loved ones. This phenomenon, as deeply human as it is technologically strange, raises urgent questions about grief, memory, and the ethics of digital afterlives.

One of the most talked-about platforms in this space is Project December, initially an experimental art project turned public service. Users voluntarily submit character traits, memories, and communication habits of a deceased person. The platform then creates a chatbot that simulates that person in conversation—sometimes eerily convincingly—for about $10 and up to an hour of interaction.