[Global Times Comprehensive Report] "How are you? I am CoCo Coco Lee." A latest video about the late Hong Kong singer Coco Lee has gone viral on the Internet recently. The blogger who uploaded the video claimed that he was entrusted by fans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] "How are you? I am Coco Lee Coco." A latest video about the late Hong Kong singer Coco Lee has gone viral on the Internet recently. The blogger who uploaded the video claimed that he was entrusted by fans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate videos and sounds to "resurrection" Coco Lee. This use of AI to "resurrection" the deceased and the dissemination of related content not only arouse emotional resonance, but also trigger moral and ethical discussions.

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According to Hong Kong media reports on the 17th, in the AI ​​synthesized video circulating on the Internet, "Coco Lee" is wearing a denim jacket, sitting in front of the camera and greeting everyone: "How are you? I am Coco Coco Lee, I know you. It may be surprising, even a little unreal, but please believe me, this is a moment full of love and gratitude, because I have the opportunity to be with you through this video..." Blogger who used AI to "resurrect" Coco Lee It is claimed that this video was made voluntarily at the request of fans. He said that making other videos of the deceased is not free and requires a fee of 588 yuan. However, as long as the virtual video of the deceased is not used for commercial purposes, there is no risk of being held accountable by the family of the deceased. Some fans said, "What fans like is Coco Lee who has a soul, not a copy of a bunch of data." However, some people find it acceptable, "I will really burst into tears when I see the video. It feels like Coco Lee has always been alive."

In addition to Coco Lee, AI videos of many late artists such as Taiwanese actor Gao Yixiang and mainland actor Qiao Renliang have been widely circulated on the Internet. Gao Yixiang's agent previously conveyed the statement of Gao Yixiang's family that he did not want Gao Yixiang's portrait to be used arbitrarily without consent, severely condemned and boycotted such behavior, demanded the immediate removal of relevant videos, and stated that he would not rule out filing a lawsuit. Qiao Renliang's elderly father said that he could not accept and felt very uncomfortable after seeing the image of "his son being resurrected" spread online. He hoped that it would be taken off the shelves as soon as possible. He said bluntly, "They did not ask for our consent... This is exposing scars."

But some people choose to use AI technology to remember their deceased family members. In 2021, Taiwanese musician Bao Xiaobai's 22-year-old daughter died of illness. He missed his daughter and studied for a PhD in AI technology, hoping to "resurrection" his daughter in the digital world. After repeated attempts and training, Bao Xiaobai recreated the "digital daughter" as he wished. Not only could he respond to conversations in real time, but he also sang a birthday song to his wife on her birthday. He said, "For me, AI makes it clear to me that my thoughts can be expressed using another tool."

Zhou Jian, director of Chongqing Yuhui Law Firm, said that AI's "resurrection" of Li Min's video mainly involves the issue of its legal origin and whether it is used reasonably within the scope of the law. Fans request to make it privately for their own enjoyment only and not to disseminate it publicly. This can be understood as fair use within the scope of the law and will not be held responsible. But the problem is that now that the video has been widely circulated, this move does not legally have the legal permission of Coco Lee's relatives, and is therefore suspected of infringement of portrait rights. Zhou Jian said that although the deceased does not have portrait rights, his portrait, name, etc. are still protected by law within a certain period of time, and his close relatives can sue in court.

Since the rise of generative AI, "AI resurrects relatives" has developed into an industry chain, and "seeing each other again" with deceased relatives has become increasingly possible. Searching for "AI resurrecting relatives" on the e-commerce platform shows that many stores provide such services, with prices ranging from 10 yuan to 500 yuan. Some shops claim that they can provide services such as "restoring old photos + making them move" and "photos speak". Some merchants have also launched the "AI resurrecting relatives" service, and data show that more than 400 orders have been sold.

However, experts point out that if a large number of "AI resurrections" occur, it is very likely to be used by criminals, such as using the image of the deceased to commit fraud, making illegal videos, etc. Some Hong Kong media commented on the 17th that today, with the rapid advancement of science and technology, more and more people are choosing to use AI technology to "see their loved ones again", and the ethical considerations behind it should be paid attention to. Although this can alleviate the longing for relatives to a certain extent and has a certain psychological comfort effect, from an ethical and social perspective, "resurrecting" deceased relatives may mislead the living and make them unable to face the reality.Secondly, this technology may also be abused to create false information to mislead the public. (Yang Weimin)