I speak to my dead father using an iPhone – and it only costs $49 a year to do

A MAN has used the power of AI to carry on speaking to his dead father from beyond the grave.

James Vlahos came up with the idea when his dad was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

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For months the tech entrepreneur recorded memories from him before he passed away in 2017.

“When my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, I knew I wanted to figure out a better way to remember him,” he said.

“How many times do we wish we could talk to a loved one just one more time?”

James spent a year programming a persona-sharing AI that he called the Dadbot.

It lets him speak to a digital version of his father about childhood memories like crushes and a pet rabbit, as well as stories about later life and his career in law.

And now the technology is available to anyone.

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People can set up their own profile with HereAfter AI before they die, using a chatbot interviewer which asks you questions about your life.

You can also upload photos to go with it.

Then the system uses the recordings to create a special voice avatar unique to each user.

Once they’ve passed away, loved ones can then interact with them using an app or smart speaker.

It can speak back to you in their voice, creating small talk, cracking jokes, and even singing, if that’s what the person recorded before they died.

“Instead of just learning basic facts – birthdates, marriages, names of children – you can actually have conversations with your ancestors,” James said.

“You can learn about their lives through engaging stories. You can get a sense for their personalities.”

HereAfter AI allows people to set up their recordings for free.

If family members want to access it once they’ve died, they’ll have to pay a starting price of $49 for an annual subscription.

One user, Debbie, said: “Hearing my dad’s stories, I learned more about his life than I had ever known previously.

“HereAfter is precious to me and will be a great gift for my family forever.”

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In other news, Pornhub has exposed what horny Americans and Brits have been looking for in the past year – and there’s a new favourite in town.

Apple Music is taking on Spotify with a new half price plan with a twist.

And Snapchat has revealed it has given away a whopping $250million (£189million) to its creators over the last year.

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