Chinese family creates AI avatar of deceased son to conceal death from elderly mother
A Chinese family created a convincing AI avatar of their son, who died in a road accident, to conceal his death from his elderly mother with heart disease. The mother unknowingly communicates with the digital replica via daily video calls, believing her son is working in another city, raising concerns about deception of a vulnerable person and potential psychological harm when the truth emerges.
What happened
A family in Shandong Province, China, created an AI avatar of their son who died in a road accident approximately one year prior to conceal his death from his 80-year-old mother.
The AI system was developed by a team led by AI expert Zhang Zewei using the deceased son's photographs, videos, and voice recordings. The avatar replicates his appearance, speech patterns, mannerisms, and habits.
The mother, who suffers from heart disease, was not informed of her son's death. Instead, the AI avatar conducts daily video calls with her, and she believes her son is working in another city.
Reported impact
The family stated the deception protects the mother from emotional shock that could harm her health, describing the AI as providing emotional support and preventing loneliness and grief.
Social media responses were divided: some found the use emotionally moving, while others expressed concern that prolonged deception would cause greater harm when the truth is eventually revealed.
Index analysis
The case demonstrates the deployment of synthetic media technology to deliberately deceive a vulnerable person about a significant life event. The AI system produces convincing video outputs that are indistinguishable from the deceased person.
The use raises questions about informed consent and autonomy, as the mother is unaware she is interacting with an AI system rather than her living son.
Governance controls
No governance, oversight, or regulatory framework is mentioned regarding the creation or deployment of the AI avatar.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.