Grieving South Koreans seek comfort in AI videos of deceased loved ones

Grieving South Koreans are turning to AI video recreations of deceased relatives as platforms like Vaice produce lifelike digital messages for mourners. Seoul-based Vaice said it serves about 300 customers a month, mainly people in their 40s and 50s, and typically requires a few photos and short voice samples of the deceased. A basic three-to-five-minute video costs 600,000 won (about $390), and clients often write scripts, sometimes adding phrases such as “I love you.” One client, Lee Geon Hui, hired Vaice in December to create a video from his grandfather who died in a car accident before Lee was born; Lee said his father watched it and cried. The trend is growing, but experts warn of ethical, psychological, and legal risks as well as “double-edged” emotional impacts.