“If you had the chance to talk to a loved one who died, would you take it?” That’s the pitch of Eternal You, the thought-provoking documentary about AI technology from German filmmakers Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck. But that question doesn’t quite get to the heart of the matter. What the technology on display here is really offering is an algorithmic approximation of your loved one, and what Eternal You is investigating is the uncanny valley between our memories and the increasingly life-like technological representations of those who have passed away—ghosts in the machine who are monetized by hungry startups. In this documentary, we see any number of concerning and confusing moments in the interactions between grieving humans and imperfect tech: using a VR simulation, a mother reunites with the young daughter she lost for the viewing pleasure millions on national TV; a company creates a vocal filter that can say anything you want in the voice of the deceased; the avatar in a subscription-based AI chat program tells the user that they are stuck in hell. Eternal You is scratching at the surface of the infinite ethical quandaries of the AI Wild West we are all now living in. ~OO

Also screens Saturday, October 19 | 4:30 PM