Family uses AI to present message in court from loved one no longer alive

Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us and while some use it to create funny animated pictures of themselves, others use it to "bring back" their loved ones that have departed.

Maybe we've hit a new frontier in courtroom proceedings – recently, a simulated version of a deceased man created with AI spoke directly to his assailant during a sentencing hearing in Arizona. The AI-generated avatar of Christopher Pelkey, developed by his family, was presented in Maricopa County Superior Court, just before Gabriel Paul Horcasitas was sentenced for fatally shooting Pelkey during a 2021 road-rage incident.

The digital recreation of Pelkey appeared on video wearing a green sweatshirt and a full beard, standing against a plain white background. Early in the video, the avatar clarified that it was an AI representation, a point made clear by minor audio irregularities and imperfect synchronization of speech and facial movements. In the message, the avatar expressed a sense of tragic irony about the encounter, suggesting that under different circumstances, they might have become friends.

Pelkey, a 37-year-old US Army veteran, lost his life in the incident. His family chose to create the AI message to honor his memory and articulate their pain. Since the video was not used as evidence, the court allowed greater flexibility in presenting it during the sentencing phase. Horcasitas, who had already been found guilty of manslaughter and endangerment, received a sentence of ten and a half years in state prison.

Stacey Wales, Pelkey's sister, wrote the script for the avatar after finding it difficult to fully express her grief in her own words. Although she admitted she could not forgive Horcasitas, she believed her brother would have taken a more empathetic approach. The video, she explained, was meant to remind the court of her brother's humanity and the lasting impact of the tragedy. She worked with her husband and a friend, both of whom are in the tech industry, to produce the simulation.

The use of generative AI in this case introduces a new and emotionally charged way of applying technology in the legal system. While courts have been cautious about AI, especially after incidents where lawyers used fake cases created by AI, this new use without evidence adds another level of complexity.

Harry Surden, a law professor at the University of Colorado, pointed out that using generative AI in court raises ethical concerns. He explained that simulated content can skip over careful thinking and appeal directly to emotions, making it more powerful – and possibly more problematic – than regular evidence. He stressed that while these tools may seem real, they are still made up and should be treated as such.

How to make AI videos?

Let's hope nobody is in the aforementioned situation, but if you want to give AI videos a try, you could do so by using ChatGPT, for example – it's a straightforward process that combines AI-generated content with video creation tools.

What to do:

• Generate a script: Use ChatGPT to create a script for your video.
• Choose a text-to-video tool: Pick a text-to-videoplatform.
• Customize and edit: Adjust voiceovers, visuals, and background music.
• Export and share: Export the video and upload it to platforms like YouTube.

First, you'll use ChatGPT to generate a script for your video. Then, you can choose a text-to-video platform (you can find those online) to convert the script into a video, adjusting settings such as voiceovers and visuals. Finally, after previewing and editing the video, you can export it and share it across platforms like YouTube or social media.