Technology Impact Cycle Tool

An example: Griefbot

The Griefbot can be an important support for people and a normal part of grieving, on the other hand, there is a lot of potential for future abuse. A better Griefbot does not automatically mean that there will be a better world.

An example: Griefbot

When my mother died I was only four years old. Now that I am twenty eight years old I only heard the stories from family members and people who worked with her, about the wonderful person she must have been. Four years ago our daughter was born. She is four years old now and I keep on struggling with this missing part in my life. What kind of things would my mother have said to a four year old from her role as a grandma? I thought I would never know, until this new technology came up. They call it a grief bot, but my daughter just calls it grandma. She talks to her all the time and I hear them giggling when I walk out the room. Sometimes she whispers that my daughter is exactly like I was at that age. What a nice thing that my daughter can grow up with the (grand)mother I never had, although they will never meet in person. But, what does 'meeting in person' actually means now that everything has gone digital? Is it really necessary to make a distinction between what is fake and what is real? For my daughter grandma is real and that is the only thing that counts...

An example: Griefbot

When Carl died we all wanted to stay connected, like everyone does when the grief bot asks you if you want to remember a person's life and connect again. But when we connected I got a whole different Carl than I expected. In my mind he has always been the most caring husband, the best I could wish for. But now that I have asked him some questions, he gave me some unexpected answers. And when my friends asked him questions he answered very rude. Was this always the case and did I just didn't see it? I don't know what to do with it anymore: should I keep my own memories alive or should I replace them with new ones? Do I end up with a totally different person in the end? What is real and what is fake? I don't know it anymore. The strangest thing is that my friends say I should get myself into a new relationship again and forget about Carl. But how can I do that when he keeps on talking to me like he is still with us? It feels like betrayal if I leave him now. Or do I betray myself be not letting him go? How did people do this in the old days? Did people just disappear in time? Could they be forgotten? I feel trapped in this situation but it's like a circle I can't get out of.

An example: Griefbot

Keeping dead people alive might seem logical and nice, but has the pitfall that people can no longer be forgotten in a natural way. In my western culture nature intended us to slightly disappear from each others minds, bit this is not possible anymore. What does that do to our human values and to our mental and physical state of mind? Is this a healthy or unhealthy part that we choose to walk on? Could we foresee this when things seemed less complicated?

An example: Griefbot

No, we haven't thought about that at all. Like most technology developers we decided to launch the tool first and see what happens. I don't know what other people will do with it, but if an investor wants to pay me a million I think I will sell my idea's anyhow. What do you think? Could an external part be a 'bad actor'? What could possibly go wrong? I still have my million dollars though...

An example: Griefbot

Maybe we should decide on not making or implementing things if the future scenario's turn out to be too radical. But things will change and society changes as well. And what will happen if somebody else decides differently? Do we really have an opt-out if the standard is to opt-in or is this just an illusion? Do we really have a choice?