Overview
- The iOS app, co-founded by actor Calum Worthy, generates interactive “HoloAvatars” that the company says can look, talk, and share memories like the person they depict, with Android listed as coming soon.
- A promotional video shows a daughter and her family interacting over years with an AI version of her late mother, ending with the claim that a three‑minute recording can create a lasting avatar.
- Worthy’s post promoting the ad has drawn widespread pushback on X, with users calling the concept disturbing and dystopian and the video surpassing 22 million views.
- Researchers and ethicists, including at Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre, caution about consent, commercialization of grief, potential harm to children, and the risk of unwanted digital “hauntings.”
- The app is free to download but sells premium avatars and digital items, raising concerns from critics who say the model profits from bereavement.