AI systems can recreate the voices and personalities of deceased loved ones, offering comfort to some while raising complex questions about grief, identity, and ethical boundaries. Credit: Margaux Jacks

Artificial intelligence is moving into one of the most intimate areas of human life: grief. Tools that can simulate a deceased person's voice, writing style, or conversational patterns are no longer science fiction. They are emerging products and technologies that promise comfort for some mourners while raising profound ethical, psychological, and cultural questions.

At the University of Virginia School of Data Science, Renée Cummings studies how data ethics intersects with experiences that are deeply human.…