A Glimpse into the Future: How AI Could Help Us Grieve

In a world where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, the question of how AI can impact our lives is becoming increasingly important. One recent example of this is the short film \"Sweetwater, \" which explores the idea of using AI to help people cope with grief. The film, which stars Michael Keaton and Kyra Sedgwick, tells the story of a man who loses his mother and is then visited by a hologram of her. The hologram, which is powered by AI, allows the man to interact with his mother in a way that he never thought possible. The film was commissioned by Google, which has a vested interest in promoting the positive aspects of AI. The company is a major investor in the AI firm Anthropic, which has been the subject of lawsuits over accusations of copyright infringement in the arts. Google is also developing its own AI tools, including Gemini and Project Astra. The film's writer, Sean Douglas, is the son of Michael Keaton. In an interview, Douglas said that the film raises important questions about the use of AI in our lives. \"If presented with this possibility, would you want that -- and what are the parameters of how real an experience like this can be? \" he asked. The rise of AI has prompted conversations and criticism about the impact of the technology on our lives. Hollywood is reckoning with similar questions as storytellers bring up fears about copyright violations, compensation, and the risk of AI competing with actors, writers, and artists for work. Some people already use chatbots like therapists, and technology has made it possible to bring back actors, writers, and musicians from the dead in digital form. Google's AI products don't appear in the film, although the company does have a holographic 3D communication technology called Google Beam that uses AI. The film's executive producer, Neil Parris, said that the film is meant to empower human creativity and shape the jobs that people have in the creative process. The film premiered in September in New York, but its distribution hasn't been finalized. The filmmakers said they're also open to making it longer. A panel discussion about the film also shined a spotlight on the tension between humans and machines. Sedgwick said she was excited about the prospect of an actor playing AI instead of AI playing an actor. Keaton, who also directed the film, said that while he isn't the most tech-savvy, curiosity and the opportunity to work with his son led him to direct and star in the film. He also expressed concerns about the impact of AI on jobs and equity. YouTube, which is owned by Google, also added AI tools to its platform that train on the work of its video creators. Some creators have expressed fear that this could make it easier for others to copy their work and creative styles. While the film is about AI, the filmmakers intentionally didn't use AI to create digital actors. Douglas said that the benefit of working with Google was the company gave access to researchers and their tech workers to learn more about the digital afterlife. Jed Brubaker, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who has researched the benefits and risks of AI afterlives with Google DeepMind, worked with the filmmakers as they sorted out the design of the \"generative ghost\" of the mom. In \"Sweetwater, \" the mom's hologram gets projected from an orb.