The things we can now do after we die

The man in the picture is Chris Pelkey, a 37-year-old veteran and devout Christian, who was shot and killed on November 13, 2021, in Chandler, Arizona, following a traffic dispute.

The trial of his killer — who was arrested on the scene — took place this week. During the proceedings, the judge accepted as a victim impact statement a video generated using AI in which Chris himself — his voice, his face — appears before the court to say he deeply regrets the events and forgives his killer.

Victim impact statements are written or spoken declarations offered during sentencing, giving crime victims a chance to speak as part of the legal process. This appears to be the first known instance of AI being used to recreate a murder victim’s likeness in order to participate directly in the courtroom.

Beyond the obvious morbid fascination, it’s worth pausing to consider what might go through the minds of family members who choose to use a loved one’s photos, videos, and voice recordings to feed a generative AI and produce a video in which the deceased addresses the court. Just one detail among many in a trial — but surely one with strong emotional weight, especially for a jury suddenly confronted with the image of the victim speaking to them directly. In this case, the defendant got the maximum of 10½ years for the 2021 murder. His attorney…