Meet Me Online After My Death, Or the Legal Frontiers of Modern Grief Technologies
Meet Me Online After My Death, Or the Legal Frontiers of Modern Grief Technologies

Summary/Abstract: The rapid global spread of digital grief technologies (grief tech) raises legal issues that extend beyond traditional national regulatory frameworks. Artificial intelligence-based digital avatars, platforms for managing the online presence of the deceased, and posthumous data-processing practices pose complex legal dilemmas. There are already several experimental and commercial solutions at the international level that enrich the process of digital mourning with a technological dimension that may appear unusual: these are the so-called griefbots, i.e. AI systems aimed at facilitating the grieving process. The aim of this article is to highlight certain legal dilemmas surrounding AI-supported posthumous ‘digital presence’, with particular regard to privacy rights, the protection of posthumous identity, data protection issues, and the use of AI systems designed for direct user interaction. The analysis focuses on the EU digital regulatory framework – in particular, the GDPR and the AI Act. The problems presented highlight that the current legal frameworks are only partially suitable for addressing the challenges raised by grief tech, and necessitate the development of a more coordinated, technology-sensitive international approach.

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