From thanabots to responsible DeathTech: An ethical–socio-pedagogical framework for AI and digital grief support

Authors: Ciccarelli, S., Levi, G., Iavarone, M.L., Ferraro, F.V.

Journal: Journal of Responsible Technology

Publication Date: 01/09/2026

Volume: 27

eISSN: 2666-6596

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrt.2026.100184

Abstract:

This discussion paper examines the ethical, pedagogical and social challenges posed by emerging DeathTech practices, particularly AI-driven thanabots that simulate posthumous interactions with the deceased. While these systems promise comfort, recent evidence highlights risks of hyper-attachment, emotional distortion, and the disruption of healthy mourning processes. Drawing on embodied cognition, meaningful play, and immersive learning environments, the authors propose an educationally grounded alternative that restores the bodily, relational, and symbolic dimensions of grief. Integrating findings from clinical interventions (3MDR), virtual-reality grief therapies (EMMA), and AI-mediated Holocaust testimony, the authors outline a theoretical and methodological framework for responsible grief support that rejects the simulation of the deceased in favour of reflective, non-representational digital experiences. Anchored in GDPR, the AI Act, and Responsible Research and Innovation, the model offers guidelines for designing technologies that enhance emotional literacy, ethical awareness, and critical engagement with digital mortality.

Source: Scopus