Digital resurrection technology, which employs artificial intelligence to recreate deceased individuals, has gained a foothold over the past two years. Most notably, Stacey Wales utilized AI to generate a video featuring her late brother, Christopher Pelkey, which gave his avatar a presence during the sentencing of the individual responsible for his death in a road rage incident in Chandler, Arizona. According to NPR, this marks a pioneering use of AI in a legal proceeding.
Wales expressed to NPR that her brother was denied the opportunity to voice his thoughts, stating, “We can’t let that happen. We have to give him a voice.” Pelkey, a veteran sergeant in the U.S. Army, was deeply engaged in his local church and participated in multiple mission trips, characterized by his generosity and strong faith. He passed away at the age of 37.
After two years of attempting to formulate a victim impact statement, Wales experienced an epiphany, recognizing that her brother’s perspective was of utmost importance. She produced the AI video within a few days and later shared it online, which encapsulated her brother’s essence.
In the video, the AI generated avatar introduced itself, detailing its reconstruction using Chris Pelkey’s likeness and voice. The persona expressed gratitude towards those he loved, and narrated an imagined friendship with his assailant, Gabriel Paul Horcasitas– in an alternate reality. The video concluded with a farewell message from Pelkey’s AI avatar, indicating his readiness to go fishing once again.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Todd Lang expressed dramatic admiration for the AI presentation, stating, “I loved that AI. Thank you for that,” as he subsequently sentenced Horcasitas to over a decade in prison for manslaughter. This case exemplifies the evolving applications of artificial intelligence in representing deceased individuals, a trend popular among TikTok true crime aficionados, and more recently utilized by youth-focused organizations advocating for gun reform.
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