Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the ultimate robot companion built up of search engines and high-tech exertion that provide human-like tasks for almost every human activity possible.
Some of these provisions are famously recognized AI-generated images and videos that mimic certain faces of actual people. While the possible harm in this facial coding, namely, “Deep fakes,” has been recognized by many, others cannot deny that it has become useful for them, especially in remembering their loved ones who have already gone to the afterlife.
For the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-Ron, this had allegedly been the case.
On March 14, the head of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association, Kwon Young-chan, uploaded a YouTube video on their channel titled “A Memorial for Kim Sae Ron Created by Her Bereaved Family Using AI.” He noted that Sae-ron’s family had been involved in the making as they provided the video’s description.
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Evident in the video is the late actress in a garden-like scenery. Her ai-generated self goes to tell fans, “To everyone who loved and supported me, the time I spent with you is a collection of truly precious memories.” Her depicted self continued, “I started acting at a young age, and there were many times when I fell short or may have disappointed you. Still, I sincerely want to thank the fans who believed in me and waited for me.”
While her family had been the ones to reportedly create this memorial video, a message for them as well as Sae-ron’s friends was also included. The ai-figure’s last parting words were, “If you remember me in the future, please remember me as someone bright and warm.”
As per The Korea Herald, some fans felt emotional and shared their remarks on the video, writing, “Seeing this, I couldn’t stop crying… It feels like a final farewell,” and “Watching this breaks my heart. I hope her tarnished name can be restored.”
Others, however, sparked broader debate and questioned whether it truly reflected her wishes. Fans were also quick to speak against the family, doubting their genuine intentions in the pursuit of the video, and noted that she experienced heavy cyber-bullying which made viewers wonder why she would be “thankful” for the weight she endured in her lifetime.
While the family has not responded to this feedback, recent reports in line with the AI video’s timeline have shared that they have filed a lawsuit against YouTuber Lee Jin-ho for defamation following his alleged spread of false information in multiple videos uploaded to his channel, Garo Sero Research Institute, about Kim Sae-ron since 2022.
The family’s claims on the matter were announced by their legal representative, Bu Ji Seok, head attorney at Buyou Law Firm, in a press conference held at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on March 17— the same day the suit had been filed.
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