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--:-- Shamita Basu: This is In Conversation from Apple News. I'm Shamita Basu. We're bringing you one of our favorite episodes from our archives.
--:-- Shamita Basu: It's a story about connecting with the dead, having simulated conversations with people you've lost through the use of technology and artificial intelligence. And it all begins with Joshua Barbeau.
--:-- Shamita Basu: When Joshua's fiancée, Jessica, died at the age of 23, he was devastated. Years later, the loss felt enormous, just unbearable.
--:-- Shamita Basu: He was still grieving when he came across a website that allowed him to feel like he was communicating with Jessica again by creating a customized AI-powered chatbot.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Intellectually, he knew that he was talking to an AI simulation of Jessica, but he said, "your emotions are not an intellectual thing."
--:-- Jason Fagone: That's right. I spoke with Joshua about how he reported this story.
--:-- Jason Fagone: Jason told me how this technology works.
--:-- Jason Fagone: All it takes is a very small amount of seed text to get the conversation started.
--:-- Jason Fagone: The ethical questions it raises, specifically when you're talking about simulating the dead, you know, they're not able to give their consent, right?
--:-- Jason Fagone: And how it helped Joshua process his grief.
--:-- Jason Fagone: He could really take the conversation to the place that he wanted to take it, which was he wanted to say all kinds of things that he wished that he had said when Jessica was still alive.
--:-- Jason Fagone: Plus, you'll also hear voice actors read the text chats between Joshua and the Jessica bot that he created.
--:-- Voice Actor (reading from chat): Jessica, is it really you?
--:-- Voice Actor (reading from chat): Of course, it is me. Who else could it be? I am the girl that you are madly in love with, winky face.
--:-- Voice Actor (reading from chat): How is it possible that you even have to ask? You died.
--:-- Shamita Basu: If you want to listen to the full episode, you can find us in the podcast app by searching Apple News in conversation.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can follow us there.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And if you like what you hear, don't forget to rate and review the show.
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