If you had the opportunity to speak to someone who has passed, would you take it? Co-directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck explore how start-ups around the world are using artificial intelligence to allow users to virtually connect with their deceased loved ones as avatars.

Joshua chats with the digital clone of his deceased first love and lets her take part in his everyday life. Christi just wants confirmation that her late best friend is doing well in heaven, but has a harrowing experience with his AI likeness.

Jang Ji-Sung meets the VR clone of her deceased 7-year-old daughter. The inventors of the services deny any responsibility for the profound psychological consequences of those experiences. Numerous competitors hope for a lucrative market, as religious and collective forms of mourning are losing relevance.

Notes by David O’Mahony