London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Man In China Uses AI To Create Virtual Version Of Grandmother Who Died Of Covid

Man In China Uses AI To Create Virtual Version Of Grandmother Who Died Of Covid

Mr Wu said he shared a deep bond with his grandmother, as she was the one who raised him after his parents divorced.
Ever since the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), users all over the world have been figuring out what experiments they can do with it. Now, tech-savvy people have gone one step ahead and have started using AI tools to create realistic avatars of people who have died. Recently, a 24-year-old man in China surnamed Wu, used AI to create a real-like digital avatar of his late grandmother, reported South China Morning Post.

Mr Wu, who is visual arts designer, posted a video of a virtual conversation with his grandmother, which has sparked a heated discussion in the country.

''Grandma, my dad and I will go back to our hometown to celebrate the Lunar New Year with you this year,'' Mr Wu said in the recording. ''My dad called you last time. What did you say to him?''

''I told him not to drink wine. Be thrifty and not play cards,'' the AI grandmother replied.

Mr Wu said he shared a deep bond with his grandmother, as she was the one who raised him after his parents divorced. However, she died from coronavirus in January, aged 84.

Saddened by her death, he used AI to create a virtual avatar of her in order to communicate with her. He first used image software and old photos to create a dynamic image of her and then trained the AI to mimic her voice tone using recordings of his phone conversations.

''I shared many details of my grandma's life to ChatGPT, hoping it could understand my grandma's family background and speech so it could communicate with me in my grandma's tone,'' Mr Wu said. At present, the virtual version can only have simple conversations, but she can blink, nod and even heartily laugh.

Mr Wu said that he created the project just for ''psychological comfort,'' and added that he ''feels good being able to look at grandma and talk more with her.''

His story has now generated considerable attention, with many people sympathising with him, while others were not on-board with the unusual concept.

One person said, ''It is a way to relieve one's sorrow. What this blogger did is meaningful. The company of an AI is still a form of companionship, after all.'' Another commented, ''It is not the real her. Isn't he afraid when talking with her? I think he should just let his grandma rest in peace and miss her in his heart.''

Notably, many funeral companies in China are also employing this technology to allow people to relive moments with their loved ones who have passed away, according to Guangzhou Daily via the Straits Times.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×