In a grotesque fusion of grief and technology, Russian families are reportedly employing artificial intelligence to create digital avatars of soldiers killed in the Ukraine war. These AI-generated replicas, often trained on personal photos, videos, and voice recordings, are being used to simulate conversations with the deceased. The practice, labelled ‘digital necromancy’ by critics, has drawn sharp condemnation from the UK government, which views it as a new front in information warfare.
The UK Foreign Office has accused the Kremlin of orchestrating a ‘digital propaganda campaign’ that exploits familial trauma to glorify the war. “This is not about healing; it is about manipulation,” a spokesperson said. “These AI simulations are designed to manufacture consent for a conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives.”
Reports from Russian Telegram channels and state media outlets suggest that the technology is being promoted as a therapeutic tool. One widely shared video shows a mother asking an AI avatar of her son where he is, to which it responds: “I’m still fighting, Mama. Don’t cry.” Independent fact-checkers, however, have identified the clip as doctored, with the AI output scripted to reinforce narratives of sacrifice and patriotism.
The technical process behind these digital resurrections is chillingly straightforward. Families upload a trove of data to custom-built neural networks, which then generate a 3D avatar capable of mimicking the deceased’s mannerisms and speech patterns. Advanced deepfake algorithms sync the avatar’s lip movements to real-time audio, which can be generated from text prompts or pre-recorded phrases. The result is a disturbingly lifelike digital ghost that can be interacted with via smartphone apps or virtual reality headsets.
Ethicists warn that this blurs the line between commemoration and exploitation. “We are entering an era where the dead can be weaponised,” said Dr. Helena Petrova, a digital rights advocate. “The grieving process is being hijacked for political ends. Families are not consenting to this; they are being manipulated by a system that treats human emotion as raw material for propaganda.”
The practice also raises profound questions about digital sovereignty. Who owns the data of the deceased? And what happens when these avatars are used to spread disinformation? Already, UK intelligence agencies have detected AI-generated videos of fallen Ukrainian soldiers calling for surrender, a tactic they describe as ‘psyops by algorithm’.
In response, the UK has announced new sanctions targeting companies involved in the development of such technology. “We will not allow the dead to be used as puppets for the Kremlin’s lies,” the Foreign Office statement said. The sanctions include asset freezes on firms linked to the Russian AI sector and a ban on the export of facial recognition software to Russia.
But the cat is out of the bag. As AI becomes cheaper and more accessible, the ability to resurrect the dead may soon be available to anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection. The implications are staggering. From commemorating lost loved ones to rewriting history, digital necromancy threatens to redefine our relationship with death itself.
For now, the focus remains on the war in Ukraine. But the ethical cancer is spreading. As one UK official put it: “We are in a race to regulate this technology before it regulates us.” The digital afterlife has arrived, and it is already being weaponised.
