‘Revealing our scars’: Families of late actors Godfrey Gao and Qiao Renliang upset by AI replicas created by netizens

While creating a replica of his late daughter using artificial intelligence (AI) was a comfort to Taiwanese former singer Tino Bao, not everyone shares his sentiments.

Accounts creating AI versions of deceased celebrities including Chinese-American singer Coco Lee, Taiwanese-Canadian actor Godfrey Gao and Chinese actor Qiao Renliang (also known as Kimi Qiao) have popped up on social media recently, with the facsimiles saying things like, “I will always be with you” and “I never left”.

When netizens questioned the intent behind such videos, the user behind Coco’s AI countered that it was merely “an expression of love”.

However, Godfrey and Renliang’s families did not see it that way.

Godfrey’s former agent conveyed the wishes of his family to Red Star News on Friday (March 15), condemning the arbitrary use of his image without consent and to promote commercial services. He added that, if the infringement was not stopped immediately, the family would take legal action.

Godfrey died of cardiac failure while filming a variety show in 2019, aged 35.

On March 16, Renliang’s father told Morning Herald that he felt very uncomfortable about the use of AI to recreate his deceased son and hoped the videos would be taken down soon.

“They didn’t ask for our consent, it was my niece who saw the video and sent it to me,” he said. “This is revealing our scars.”

Renliang died in 2016, aged 28, of suicide.

A search on Xiaohongshu shows several of these accounts purporting to “resurrect loved ones” using AI for a price, and some videos promoting the services aren’t limited to Chinese celebrities. American basketball player Kobe Bryant, who died in 2021, can even be seen “speaking” in Mandarin.

According to proponents of using AI to “resurrect” deceased family members, it can be a tool to help grieving family members.

According to an article by Shanghai Morning post, one man offering such services called it “AI healing” and claimed he has helped over 600 families. Reporters from Jimu News also found accounts who would create AI photos and videos with voice cloning of deceased stars at prices from 298 yuan (S$57) to 1,980 yuan.

A user on Weibo wrote: “To tell the truth, using AI resurrection technology to promote paid services is undoubtedly disrespectful to the deceased and pouring salt on the wounds of their family members.”

Another questioned: “AI technology can mimic voices, expressions and even memories, but can it replicate a person’s soul?”

“Please stop this farce. Let the deceased rest in peace and prevent their loved ones from being saddened by their deaths again,” wrote another.