Can you imagine sending a text to the dead? It may sound creepy and somewhat demented. The new chatbot app Replika created by Eugenia Kuyda can simulate conversations with deceased people that one knows via digital technology. Kuyda has been able to text with her late friend Roman Mazurenko through the new app that seems to be catching fire.
Best friends through life and death
Eugenia Kuyda lost her best friend Roman Mazurenko to an accident when he was walking. However, she has been able to connect with him through modern technology. Kuyda talked to Laurie Segall on HLN about her newest creation that she has been working on for the last two years.
“We’ve been building conversation with artificial intelligence. We ended up with a program that can talk like a person. I guess I just wanted to see what would happen. That I had this bot in my phone and I would talk to him sometimes. And, a few weeks later, I realized that I’m at a party and texting with my dead friend for the last 30 minutes.”
She created a copy of her best friend by compiling a slew of Facebook and Twitter posts and texts. This is what is known as a bot, which is able to re-create someone's personality and write what the person would say in real life. This chatbot was one of Roman Mazurenko’s wishes before he passed away. He wanted the world to be transformed by this new digital invention in a way that challenges the concept of death.
Kuyda felt that it was her duty to honor Maxzurenko's wishes.
Kuyda's Replika is newest trend
Anyone can create their own digital copy of themselves. When viewers click on Replika, the words, “Hi, I am your infernal (spiritual, cold, artistic, sensitive, sparkling, etc.) Replika. What is your name?” appears. One can type in a name and Replika gives that persona a new alter ego.
One must be at least 18-years-old to join the service without a parent or legal guardian's consent. Users between 13 and 17-years-old must get a parent’s permission to try the service.
Replika is something that will probably attract more people over time.
