The idea of using technology to bring back the deceased has been a mainstay of science fiction for decades. In one 2013 episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror, a woman named Martha recreates her deceased partner using his digital footprint, first as a chatbot, then as a voice companion in the vein of Apple’s Siri, and eventually as a physical robot.

Humans are not yet churning out robotic replicas of loved ones who have passed on, but nor are they light years away. Thanks to rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence and voice technology, a new industry known as “grief tech” is already helping users to process loss.

Approaches differ, but the premise is the same: to use video chat, text, phone, or voice assistant to converse with a digital version of someone who is no longer alive.