A Comprehensive Case Study: Ethical Dimensions of AI, Death & Mourning

This case study delves into the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI, specifically griefbots, in the context of death and mourning. It analyzes the topic through the lens of four prominent ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contract theory. The utilitarian approach focuses on maximizing happiness and emotional support for the greatest number of people affected by loss, while deontology emphasizes moral duties and obligations irrespective of consequences. Virtue ethics examines the character and moral virtues relevant to AI's role in grief support, and contract theory explores the legal and societal agreements surrounding the use of griefbots. The study critically assesses each theory's applicability to the ethical dilemmas posed by AI in bereavement, considering potential benefits and drawbacks such as emotional support, data privacy, and the risk of misinformation. Ultimately, the analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the ethical landscape surrounding AI, death, and mourning, offering insights into responsible development and deployment of these technologies. Desklib offers a wide range of solved assignments and past papers for students.

Running Head: AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY

1AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
Introduction
With the rapid advancement of technology, every moment in one’s life is being is
being affected by it; whether it is a moment of joy or moment of grief, technology has taken a
toll on every such incident. This case study would be dealing with ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) to capture grief bots and instances of the dead people. This
particular technological aspect helps in connecting with the dead people. This discussion also
takes into account the theoretical approach like Utilitarian, deontology, virtue and contract.
Thus, technology is stepping up to help the people by providing emotional support in every
way possible ("New technology is forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back
from the dead", 2018).
Theoretical approach: ICT
Utilitarian approach
Utilitarian theory is an ethical theory which segregates right from wrong along with
concentrating on the outcomes; it is a type of consequentialism ("Utilitarianism - Ethics
Unwrapped", 2018). The Utilitarian approach manages the wide range population with wide
range of approach. The grief bots basically concern itself with providing the emotional
support to families and other individuals for their loss. This approach of grief bot provides
emotional support to multiple person or individual.
The technology under this utilitarian approach is more concerned in treating every person
equal. Here the first priority is given to the one who requires more emotional support than the
person who requires less support (Raicu, 2018). This technology believes in connecting the
dead to its own belongings rather than connecting them to their far-off relations. The reason
behind this is the sense of belonging heights the happiness of the concerned person. The
approach certainly receives positive vibes from the society because of its objective of
spreading happiness by attaching the memory of dead to its belongings.
However, the utilitarian theory is unable to acquire the technology of grief bots since
it is devoid of the future actions and also the human preferences and also some references
concerning the emotional support and the people’s involvement. The theory is related to the
actions and the sufferings where the proponents are defined to conform to the rules and then
maximise the utility standards as well. The focus is on working towards the notions of
maximising the happiness of an individual where the principle of utility highlights about
giving pleasure with working on the specific rules. The preference is based on how to work
with maximising the social utility which is based under the risks and uncertainty. The

2AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
utilitarianism is an outdated psychology, but it highlights about how the grief bots are
affecting the different people emotions every now and then.
Thus, the Utilitarian approach does provide equal rights and also the emotional support
required by any individual when they losses anyone to death. This approach of griefbot can
share a sense of happiness by connecting them to their lost relation.
Deontology theory
As the deontology theory concerns itself with judging the morality of actions and
referring them to be either immoral or moral adhering to the rules and obligations. According
to such concept, the actions are independent of consequences, even though they are labelled
to be either moral or immoral actions. Unlike the Utilitarian theory which is dependent on
consequences, this theory is considered to be independent of the consequences.
In this, the griefbots produce emotional support to the concern individual through the data
collected and implanted software. The theory is ineffective to obtain the receiver’s weather
which can either be better or worst. The situation can turn out to be worst if the concerned
individual is unable to comply with the situation in favour of the dead one.
Therefore, for griefbot the deontology theory is considered favourable because it
provides emotional support whenever and wherever it is required. However, there might be
situations which can be unfavourable for griefbot for its actions.
The utilitarian approach can be distinguished from the deontological approach in the case that
it has fairness and honesty being independent of consequences. The utilitarian theory is
different from the deontological theory in the case that actions are usually right in proportions
because they promote happiness whereas they are wrong when they produce reverse of
happiness. In the griefbot, the utilitarian theory usually produces results irrespective of it
being good or bad whereas the deontological theory produces results that are produced in fair
situation only. The consideration is about how the grief bots are directly subjective to the
emotional support through the collection of data and then being implanted in the software.
With this theory, there are inadequate procurements which are related to the receiver
conditions. The consequences can be provide to be worsening the situations when the case of
the candidate is ineffective to comply within emotional situation.
Virtue Theory
Unlike the Utilitarian theory and deontological theory, the virtue theory concerns itself with
the character of the individual in regard of its ethics; the individuals must be aware of
morality. The griefbot in relation to the virtue theory has difficulty in establishing the virtues
especially for individual who are inclined towards using the technology. The virtue theory of

3AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
ethics is important and emphasises on the possessor to identify about the different choices,
values and the desires with perceptions. Here, the practical wisdom is acquired with the traits
that enable the possessor to properly identify and work on a given situation. The virtue is
relative to the wisdom, justice, and temperance that includes the courage, when the grief bots
are coming with the face of fear.
The technology is concerned in providing valuable information and not characteristics of the
traits, as the emotional support the cultures related to the dead person do not account to the
characterisation of the dead person; as cultural acceptance is an altogether different issue.
Therefore, the virtue theory can take into consideration the both being for and against
providing emotional support. For griefbot, the virtue theory is actually producing more than
just positive and negative perceptions like the utilitarian and deontological theories.
Contract Theory
The legal agreements development that lies within situations that are considerable
with information that is asymmetric along with factors that are unknown are rendered as the
contract theory. According to the information available above, in order to manage the
technology several considerations exist regarding the grief bots that are subjective of many
agreements. The legal agreements are considered against the theory. The grief bots subjected
do not have applicability for all the individuals that want to utilize its usage (Austin, 2017).
When the case of misleading information or misinformation arise that favour the grief Bot
suing prospects, the breach of the theory of contract is considered against legal approaches
and terms (Raicu, 2018). In addition, the theory of contract own the applicability of providing
the negative consequences and appropriate factors of regarding the technology. Other than
these factors, the theory of contract is also considered to give the grief bot to the actual
individuals in need of the technology. When unpleasant activities take place with this
technology that utilises the usage of grief bot are considered to be against the approach that is
theoretical (Christensen, Nikolaev, & Wittenberg‐Moerman, 2016).
Apart from the factors mentioned above, the theory persists in opposition to the
prospects of providing the needy individuals against the requirement criteria. The societal
aspects concerns have a realisation for the contract theory management that favour the
utilization of the technology mentioned above. The negative factor of the breach of the
contract theory includes reviving a dead person’s memories and to inculcate those with the
individual with negative emotional disabilities (Driskell, 2017).

4AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
Conclusion
There are various conclusions that can be derived from the content that is mentioned
above in this report. Four approaches being theoretical are theory of contract and virtue and
deontology with utilitarian have been considered. The theories have been critically assessed
in relation with the usage of this grief bots technology with alignment to all the theories
mentioned. The approach of utilitarian is observed to attend the needs of the outcomes that
are positive against procurement of applicants that are wider while the approach of
deontology focuses on the procurement of the approaches that are correct for usage no matter
the consequences of the utilization. These factors prove that the theory of deontology is
preferred over the utilitarian approach for the usage of grief bots. The theory of virtue against
the theory of contract is dealing with the nature regarding the culture of the society that is
affected through the utilization of the technology of the grief bot. The contract theory has a
consideration regarding acceptance of the proper requirement of the individual apart from the
mere usage of wrong and misleading information.
References
Austin, N. (2017). Normative Virtue Theory in Theological Ethics. Religions, 8(10), 211-231.
Christensen, H. B., Nikolaev, V. V., & Wittenberg‐Moerman, R. E. G. I. N. A. (2016).
Accounting information in financial contracting: The incomplete contract theory
perspective. Journal of accounting research, 54(2), 397-435.
Driskell, D. (2017). Creating better cities with children and youth: A manual for
New technology is forcing us to confront the ethics of bringing people back from the dead.
(2018). Retrieved from https://qz.com/896207/death-technology-will-allow-grieving-
people-to-bring-back-their-loved-ones-from-the-dead-digitally/
participation. Abingdon: Routledge.
Raicu, I. (2018). AI, Death, and Mourning. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-
areas/internet-ethics/resources/ai-death-and-mourning/
Raicu, I. (2018). AI, Death, and Mourning. Retrieved from https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-
areas/internet-ethics/resources/ai-death-and-mourning/

5AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY
Utilitarianism - Ethics Unwrapped. (2018). Retrieved from
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/utilitarianism

6AI, DEATH AND MOURNING: A CASE STUDY