Commercial services creating AI clones of deceased people (thanabots) are expanding and sparking ethical disputes
Companies offer AI "thanabots" trained on the messages, photos and voices of deceased people for 199 to 50 000 USD. Microsoft has a patent for this from 2020, while HereAfter AI is currently shutting down its service.
Anyone who wants to protect their digital footprint can explicitly specify during their lifetime whether and how their messages, photographs or voice may be used after death to create an AI clone.