In this ocassion, Prof. Christian Pentzold, from the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University, will explore how artificial intelligence is emerging as a transformative force that reshapes our understanding of life and death.
The talk will focus on an experimental frontier of AI: its capacity to reimagine and recreate deceased beings, both human and animal. Drawing on the analysis of around fifty cases from the United States, Europe, the Near East, and East Asia, the presentation identifies three principal modes of AI “resurrections”: spectacularization, sociopoliticization, and mundanization. These modes channel the generative power of AI toward the creation of aesthetically appealing, politically charged, and communicative representations used for entertainment, advocacy, and remembrance.
At the same time, the talk will critically examine the forms of exploitation that may underlie these practices. Using the concept of “ghost labor,” Prof. Pentzold argues that digital remains become a resource for new forms of spectral labor: the restaging of cultural icons, the reinvocation of victims, and the revival of loved ones. These processes raise pressing ethical and legal questions about posthumous appropriation, ownership, and the potential exploitation of the dead in the age of generative AI.
Registration is required. Registered participants will receive the information on the room or the link to the online lecture per email well in advance.