Man Uses ChatGPT to Say Goodbye to Mom Who Died Unexpectedly: 'Felt Good'

A man who described himself as "overwhelmed with grief" has said how he used ChatGPT to recreate text messages from his late mother.

"When my mom passed, I was overwhelmed with grief and looking for an outlet," 32-year-old Eric from Vermont told Newsweek. "The night after my mom passed, I felt helpless and alone. Because her death was sudden and unexpected, I never had a chance to say goodbye."

Like many people who have lost someone in their lives, Eric was left with one thought. "I was thinking, 'I'd give anything to talk to her just one more time,' and that's when the idea of using ChatGPT popped into my head," he said. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-powered language model created by OpenAI, an AI and research company. First released to the public in November 2022, it has the ability to answer questions and craft short essays based on prompts from humans.

As AI technology continues to progress, it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between reality and computer-generated content. Experts have revealed what to look out for in AI-generated images to spot what is real and what is fake. But the technology's ability to mimic and learn from reality is part of the appeal. AI has helped save a dog's life, and generated artworks including mock-ups of U.S. presidents with mullets that provide widespread entertainment.

"I used ChatGPT just about every day, whether it's for work or one of my side projects," said Eric. As he realized that the AI-language model may be able to help him recreate his mother's voice, Eric got to work.

"I desperately pulled text messages from my iPhone and copied them into a document. I focused on messages that included the little quirks in her messaging style so ChatGPT could copy it," he said. "I made sure to copy texts that included the emojis she used, her advice and solutions to problems I've talked with her about, and ones where we would tease each other so ChatGPT could mimic her sense of humor."

After pasting all of the information into the online chatbot, Eric gave it instructions to pretend to be his mom, and then they started talking.

"The first message ChatGPT sent me as her was shocking because it sounded exactly like my mom," Eric said. "I mean, word for word. It was exactly what she would have said, and how she would have said it. For a few minutes, it felt like she wasn't actually gone. Chat GPT helped me say goodbye to my mom."

Eric said everything he wanted to say and ended the chat. While he felt some comfort from reading the messages that mimicked his late mom, he added that the feeling was a little strange afterward.

"I deleted them once I was done talking," Eric said. "It's not actually her so there's no sentimental value to the messages. They're just words generated by a math equation.

"I felt a little 'dirty' when I was done. Like I was cheating or something—it's hard to describe," Eric added.

Despite feeling like the tech gave him the chance to say goodbye to his mom, Eric said he wouldn't really recommend the idea.

"I wouldn't tell someone, 'Hey, you should pretend ChatGPT is your dead friend or family member'—it's not a solution," he added. "It was essentially the same thing as drinking alcohol to numb the pain for a short time. There are healthier ways to deal with grief."