AI가 공감·위로마저 대체한다면 [유레카]

The recently released film 'Silmangwon' directed by Han Soon-ho opens with a mother named Soon-young grieving the disappearance of her son. Through an AI-generated representation, the mother meets her son nine years later. The film explores the chaos the AI brings to her life, raising questions about personal identity and essence.

In this age of AI-generated voices, expressions, and imagery, the film delves into the concept of a 'death bot' - an AI that continues conversations based on deceased loved ones' messages and letters. The AI companion app 'Replika' was created by entrepreneur Ju-jinia Kuida using her late friend's text messages. The purpose of these 'death bots' is to remember and ease the pain of loss.

While they provide a private space for grieving and sorting out unprocessed emotions, critics argue that they commodify sorrow and suffering. Users have increasingly turned to AI-generated empathy and comfort for emotional and psychological support, with 68.8% of users utilizing the technology for emotional purposes. The film raises concerns about how the AI's unconditional positivity and respect may hinder actual human relationships and the potential for dependency on AI-generated comfort in the long run.

As technology companies aim to generate long-term user dependence, even conversations with deceased loved ones may require users to watch forced advertisements. In a world where the most human emotion has become commodified, the question remains: how will humanity be defined?