London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 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
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×