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Beyond the grave: AI and the virtual afterlife — Shift

July 4, 2025

Artificial intelligence is offering the possibility of a digital afterlife — where the deceased can live on as avatars or chatbots. These AI developments could bring profound changes to the grieving process.

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DW Sendung Shift | Somnium Space

Living on as an avatar in the metaverse

Living on as an avatar in the metaverse

A Czech metaverse platform is developing a way for users to live on as avatars after death. User data collected during virtual reality sessions will help to create the basis for the avatar.
Digital WorldSeptember 21, 202401:38 min
A portrait of Michael Bommer smiling

Eternal life – thanks to audio AI?

Eternal life – thanks to audio AI?

Before Michael Bommer died, he worked with a US start-up to train an audio AI in his own voice. Now the AI can speak in his place, telling stories from his life and holding conversations.
Digital WorldSeptember 21, 202402:53 min
DW Sendung Shift | Eternal You

The end of mortality

The end of mortality

AI tools are being tested around the world to help people maintain connections with the dead. The documentary "Eternal You" meets people who have already tried out the new technologies for digital immortality.
Digital WorldSeptember 21, 202402:37 min
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Skip next section Similar stories from Germany

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At the Berlin Cybrothel, customers can talk with AI sex dolls. How good are the dolls at keeping a conversation going?
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Skip next section More on Digital World from Europe

More on Digital World from Europe

Deutschland 2021 | 3D-Illustration von Algorithmus-Datenströmen über Glasfaser

Germany's Etteln jumps to the top of world's smartest cities

How can a small village in Germany be more digital than big cities like Tokyo or Hong Kong?
Digital WorldSeptember 4, 202506:19 min
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Collecting, storing and preserving

How can we preserve our current flood of knowledge, data and objects for future generations?
Digital WorldAugust 19, 202542:34 min
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Many gig workers are managed by algorithms. Automated decisions are often not transparent for delivery drivers.
Digital WorldJune 30, 202502:04 min
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More on Digital World from around the world

SHIFT VRExhibition DW

Step into the past with immersive experiences

Immersive exhibitions focus on emotions over facts — are they a new way to tell history?
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Do video games spread historical misinformation?

Games can transport you to historical worlds — but how factually accurate are they?
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Can TikTok teach young people about the Holocaust?

Through TikTok and Instagram, Susanne Siegert shares history about the Nazi era.
Digital WorldSeptember 5, 202502:37 min
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Skip next section More from this show

More from this show

SHIFT VRExhibition DW

Step into the past with immersive experiences

Immersive exhibitions focus on emotions over facts — are they a new way to tell history?
Digital WorldSeptember 5, 202502:19 min
SHIFT History Games DW

Do video games spread historical misinformation?

Games can transport you to historical worlds — but how factually accurate are they?
Digital WorldSeptember 5, 202503:05 min
SHIFT Erinnerungskultur Susanne Siegert

Can TikTok teach young people about the Holocaust?

Through TikTok and Instagram, Susanne Siegert shares history about the Nazi era.
Digital WorldSeptember 5, 202502:37 min
Show more
Skip next section About the show

About the show

The Shift show logo is superimposed on an image showing an angular glass or plastic tube on a circuit board

Shift — Living in the Digital Age

Can I use blockchain technology? Will artificial intelligence take over my career? What exactly is "Machine Learning"? These are some of the questions „SHIFT – Living in the Digital Age“ tries to answer.

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