NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries

  • Written by Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston
imageThis screenshot of an AI-generated video depicts Christopher Pelkey, who was killed in 2021.Screenshot: Stacey Wales/YouTube

Christopher Pelkey was shot and killed in a road range incident in 2021. On May 8, 2025, at the sentencing hearing for his killer, an AI video reconstruction of Pelkey delivered a victim impact statement. The trial judge repor...

Read more: AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries

More Articles ...

  1. When you lose your health insurance, you may also lose your primary doctor – and that hurts your health
  2. German chancellor’s rebuke of Israel marks a shift in state policy that has long put such criticism out of bounds
  3. A radical proposal to abolish state government and strengthen American democracy
  4. The use of federal troops to quell Los Angeles protests recalls militarized law enforcement during the Civil Rights Movement
  5. Companies haven’t stopped hiring, but they’re more cautious, according to the 2025 College Hiring Outlook Report
  6. When developing countries band together, lifesaving drugs become cheaper and easier to buy − with trade-offs
  7. Nostalgic foods and scents like fresh-cut grass and hamburgers grilling bring comfort, connection and well-being
  8. The hidden bias in college admissions tests: How standardized exams can favor privilege over potential
  9. What’s the right way to mark Juneteenth? The newest US holiday is confusing Americans
  10. Iran-Israel ‘threshold war’ has rewritten nuclear escalation rules
  11. Most Americans believe misinformation is a problem — federal research cuts will only make the problem worse
  12. Sleep loss rewires the brain for cravings and weight gain – a neurologist explains the science behind the cycle
  13. Conflicted, disillusioned, disengaged: The unsettled center of Jewish student opinion after Oct. 7
  14. A new book of Edward Gorey’s drawings shows what’s lost when the artist’s sexuality is glossed over
  15. Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes
  16. RNA has newly identified role: Repairing serious DNA damage to maintain the genome
  17. Will AI take your job? The answer could hinge on the 4 S’s of the technology’s advantages over humans
  18. Trade in a mythical fish is threatening real species of rays that are rare and at risk
  19. Millions rally against authoritarianism, while the White House portrays protests as threats – a political scientist explains
  20. Forcible removal of US Sen. Alex Padilla signals a dangerous shift in American democracy
  21. What does Israel’s strike mean for US policy on Iran and prospects for a nuclear deal?
  22. Protecting the vulnerable, or automating harm? AI’s double-edged role in spotting abuse
  23. Sly Stone turned isolation into inspiration, forging a path for a generation of music-makers
  24. Southern Baptists’ call for the US Supreme Court to overturn its same-sex marriage decision is part of a long history of opposing women’s and LGBTQ+ people’s rights
  25. Colorado’s fentanyl criminalization bill won’t solve the opioid epidemic, say the people most affected
  26. Data on sexual orientation and gender is critical to public health – without it, health crises continue unnoticed
  27. Supreme Court ignores precedent instead of overruling it in allowing president to fire officials whom Congress tried to make independent
  28. House tax-and-spending bill and other Trump administration changes could make millions of people lose their health insurance coverage
  29. RFK Jr’s shakeup of vaccine advisory committee raises worries about scientific integrity of health recommendations
  30. Two-state solution in the Middle East has been a core US policy for 25 years – is the Trump administration eyeing a change?
  31. US Army’s image of power and flag-waving rings false to Gen Z weary of gun violence − and long-term recruitment numbers show it
  32. Older adults with dementia misjudge their financial skills – which may make them more vulnerable to fraud, new research finds
  33. AI literacy: What it is, what it isn’t, who needs it and why it’s hard to define
  34. Federal R D funding boosts productivity for the whole economy − making big cuts to such government spending unwise
  35. AI tools collect and store data about you from all your devices – here’s how to be aware of what you’re revealing
  36. Energy Star, on the Trump administration’s target list, has a long history of helping consumers’ wallets and the planet
  37. Adolescents who smoke or vape may believe tobacco’s perceived coping benefits outweigh accepted health risks
  38. How a new bus line in Philadelphia is defying post-pandemic transit trends
  39. From Washington’s burned letters to Trump’s missing transcripts, partial presidential records limit people’s full understanding of history
  40. The complex reality of college student mental health: Data reveals both challenges and positive trends
  41. Video games teach students in this class how religion works in the modern world
  42. A portrait taken in North Philly in the 1980s reconnects poet with cherished memories of her own beloved father
  43. Family homesteads with tangled titles are contributing to rural America’s housing crisis
  44. How your air conditioner can help the power grid, rather than overloading it
  45. Antagonism to transgender rights is tied to the authoritarian desire for social conformity – not just partisan affiliation
  46. Politics based on grievance has a long and violent history in America
  47. How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago
  48. We surveyed 1,500 Florida kids about cellphones and their mental health – what we learned suggests school phone bans may have important but limited effects
  49. You’re probably richer than you think because of the safety net – but you’d have more of that hidden wealth if you lived in Norway
  50. A field guide to ‘accelerationism’: White supremacist groups using violence to spur race war and create social chaos