A new artificial intelligence application that allows users to create digital avatars of deceased relatives has ignited a firestorm of controversy online, following its promotion by a former Disney Channel star.
From Austin & Ally to AI Controversy
Calum Worthy, best known for his role as Dez Wade in the hit series Austin & Ally, recently co-founded the app 2wai with Hollywood producer Russell Geyser. The platform specialises in creating what it calls 'HoloAvatars' – animated interfaces for chatbots designed to look like real people.
According to its website, these avatars are generated in just three minutes and promise to 'allow real‑time, two‑way interaction like never before.' The company offers default avatars, including a personal trainer and historical figures like Shakespeare, but its most contentious feature is the ability to create a HoloAvatar of a real person from a mere three-minute video recording.
A Dystopian Ad and Public Outcry
The backlash erupted after Worthy posted an advertisement for the app on X. The promotional video depicted a pregnant woman using the technology to interact with an AI reconstruction of her deceased mother. The narrative progressed to show the AI grandmother reading a bedtime story to her newborn grandson and even discussing the birth of his own child years later.
The ad's slogan, 'With 2wai, three minutes can last forever,' did little to placate an alarmed online audience. The response was swift and overwhelmingly negative, with many users drawing parallels to the dystopian television series Black Mirror.
One incensed social media user condemned the concept as 'so predatory,' arguing that it prevents genuine grieving. They wrote, 'Talking to something puppeteering your dead relatives face is just going to feed a delusion... It's demonic and going to cause so much more mental illness.'
Another comment echoed this sentiment, stating, 'Gross behaviour. Instead of letting the deceased rest in peace and their loved ones cope with their loss, people use AI to take advantage of their struggles.' Others labelled the app 'disgusting' and 'dystopian,' with one person sarcastically remarking, 'Because what grief needs is a monetised AI impersonation of your dead grandma.'
A Growing Trend in Posthumous AI
Despite the fierce criticism, Worthy's venture is not the first attempt to use technology to digitally resurrect the dead. In 2020, Kanye West famously gifted Kim Kardashian a hologram of her late father, Robert Kardashian. Furthermore, AI has been increasingly used to recreate the voices of deceased celebrities, including iconic French singer Edith Piaf and Hollywood actors James Dean and Burt Reynolds.
The 2wai app – pronounced 'two way' – is currently available for download on the iOS App Store. However, significant questions remain unanswered. The company has not disclosed how a three-minute video provides sufficient data for the AI to accurately replicate a person's personality, and requests for further information have reportedly gone unanswered.
