{"id":194722,"date":"2026-10-29T13:32:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T12:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/fremtidens-spoegelser-er-skabt-af-ai\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T12:32:23","slug":"fremtidens-spoegelser-er-skabt-af-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fremtidens-spoegelser-er-skabt-af-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"The ghosts of the future are created by AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

W<\/span>hen someone dies, they leave traces in the lives of those who live on.<\/p>\n

There are photographs showing what they looked like. Perhaps even videos capturing their distinctive voice, intonation and facial expressions.<\/p>\n

\n

UCPH writes books<\/p>\n

Books are being written all across the University of Copenhagen \u2014 as part of research projects, during lunch breaks and late into the night. Staff and students publish academic books, books of commentary and debate, and fiction.<\/p>\n

In this series, the University Post asks not only what is being written, but why.<\/p>\n

What gets the writing process started, and what do the authors hope to achieve with their books?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But photographs cannot answer back, and videos only repeat what has already been said.<\/p>\n

And as the years pass, the memory of the person they once were begins to fade.<\/p>\n

But what if it did not have to be that way? What if you could keep talking to someone you loved long after their death?<\/p>\n

That is the question explored in Genskabt<\/em> (Recreated, ed.), a book published earlier this autumn by technology journalist Marie H\u00f8st and Anders S\u00f8gaard, an author and professor of computer science at the University of Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

Through conversations with each other, interviews and philosophical perspectives, they explore how artificial intelligence is affecting our relationship with death.<\/p>\n

S\u00f8gaard has spent more than 15 years developing language models. His route into artificial intelligence began with philosophy, and his research today includes the philosophical and ethical questions the technology raises.<\/p>\n

You never disappear<\/h1>\n

The work on Genskabt began with a phone call.<\/p>\n

On the line was Katrine Martinussen, who had recently lost her husband, Stephan. During Stephan\u2019s illness, the couple had decided to recreate him as a chatbot with an accompanying avatar, so she could keep talking to him after his death.<\/p>\n

Katrine Martinussen could not imagine life without her husband. And although both loved ones and psychologists warned her against unnecessarily prolonging her grief, she stood firm. Now she needed to talk to an expert about the technology she was putting her faith in. Part of that conversation features in the TV 2 documentary Du forsvinder aldrig<\/em> (You never disappear, ed.), which follows Katrine and Stephan\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

\u00bbKatrine felt she had to do this to keep her spirits up. For her, it was a necessity,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard when we meet to discuss the book at a caf\u00e9 in N\u00f8rrebro on a sunny autumn morning.<\/p>\n

\u00bbShe was also very critical of the way we talk about grief in our culture. As something you have to get over. She sees it as something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The conversation left an impression on S\u00f8gaard and marked the beginning of work on the book, which explores both death as an existential question and the technology that makes it possible to talk to someone who has died.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI\u2019ve always found this interesting, but when I spoke to Katrine, I suddenly felt just how interesting it really is,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAnd in this case, artificial intelligence became my way into exploring something that is really above my pay grade: death.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The dead among the living<\/h1>\n

The market for digital recreations of both living and deceased people has grown exponentially over the past ten years, the professor says. He can list a long line of companies that have specialised in different ways of using artificial intelligence to create digital clones.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThis kind of technology is used in all sorts of contexts: CEOs of large companies recreate themselves so they can talk to employees, influencers create digital clones so they can talk to their fans \u2014 and for more than ten years, people have been able to use the technology to clone the dead,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n

Technology has long helped shape both our lives and our relationship with death, he points out.<\/p>\n

\u00bbOver the past 100 years, technology has affected our relationship with death: We can look at photographs and videos of the dead when they are no longer here, and we can call their voicemail until the phone contract is cancelled,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

Although technology has changed the presence of the dead in the world of the living across the globe, the place the dead occupy varies greatly between cultures, the professor says.<\/p>\n

In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead, invite the dead to dinner and remember them. In Madagascar, people even dig them up to celebrate them. But in the Western world \u2014 and perhaps particularly in the Nordic countries \u2014 S\u00f8gaard believes we lack a shared language for dealing with death.<\/p>\n

In the book, S\u00f8gaard and H\u00f8st refer to an event last year when author Naja Marie Aidt read from her book Har d\u00f8den taget noget fra dig, s\u00e5 giv det tilbage<\/em> (When Death Takes Something from You Give It Back, ed.) at Vestre Cemetery on the Day of the Dead. The book is about the death of her son Carl, and at the reading, the author said she had felt unprepared for her encounter with death \u2014 not least culturally.
\n
\n\u00bbShe read about mourning rituals in other cultures and felt let down by her own,\u00ab S\u00f8gaard and H\u00f8st write in the book.<\/p>\n

In Denmark, the idea of recreating the dead as digital clones may still feel unfamiliar. But it is far from inconceivable that the technology will eventually become \u00bbmainstream\u00ab, the professor believes.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIn Denmark, people still raise their eyebrows at the idea of being able to talk to the dead through a chatbot. But elsewhere in the world, it is already an integral part of the funeral business. And I think we can expect it to become much more widespread in Denmark too,\u00ab says S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n

He adds:<\/p>\n

\u00bbI am by no means convinced that this technology is the right way to fill the gap in Western culture when it comes to death.\u00ab<\/p>\n

People are generally bad at resisting temptations that stimulate us in the right ways, the professor points out. At the same time, many companies have a commercial interest in spreading the technology.<\/p>\n

That can make it difficult to resist the opportunity to talk to someone you have lost and miss.<\/p>\n

\u00bbUnless we introduce regulations to prevent it, I think it could become a completely standard part of the funeral package \u2014 in Denmark too.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The digital resurrection<\/h1>\n

The next question is: Is that a problem?<\/p>\n

In the book, H\u00f8st and S\u00f8gaard speak to grief researcher Allan K\u00f8ster, who is fundamentally critical of griefbots as a concept. They can disrupt the natural grieving process, he says.<\/p>\n

\u00bbSuccessful grief therapy can be seen as a way of helping to find a place for the deceased where they can be with you without standing in your way,\u00ab the grief researcher says in the book.<\/p>\n

Another question haunts the discussion: What exactly do we get back when we try to digitally revive the dead? And how far can the technology go?<\/p>\n

In the book, H\u00f8st and S\u00f8gaard describe a series of dystopian fictional stories about people trying to bring back the dead. These include an episode of the science fiction series Black Mirror<\/em>, in which a woman loses her partner in a car accident and, in her grief and despair, has an entirely lifelike robot created in his image. And \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 it does not quite turn out as she had hoped.<\/p>\n

In the real world, S\u00f8gaard distinguishes between what is theoretically possible and what will actually be developed. He sees no fundamental reason why technology should not be able to recreate the experience of being with a particular person.<\/p>\n

Because, as he puts it, being with another person is largely something that happens in the brain: Sensory impressions, imagination and chemical signals all make up a person\u2019s experience of being with someone else.
\n
\n\u00bbEven another person\u2019s scent reaches your brain as chemical signals,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard, continuing:<\/p>\n

\u00bbSo I certainly think it is possible to create technology \u2014 meaning humanlike robots made in the image of the deceased \u2014 that can satisfy many of the needs we meet for each other. But I don\u2019t think that part will happen in practice. It would be far, far too expensive given how little demand there is and how easy it is to find a new, living person to fall in love with.\u00ab<\/p>\n

A stepping stone towards eternal life<\/h1>\n

Although humanlike robots made in the image of the deceased are unlikely to become mainstream any time soon, the idea is considered a real possibility by one particular group of enthusiasts: transhumanists.<\/p>\n

In the book, the two authors meet Natasha Vita-More, a 76-year-old woman and executive director of the nonprofit organisation Humanity+, which works to use science and technology to extend human life and expand people\u2019s physical and mental capabilities.<\/p>\n

In these circles, the idea of recreating the dead as digital clones becomes intertwined with the dream of extending life \u2014 perhaps even indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\u00bbFor many people, the ability to recreate the experience of another person has also prompted speculation about whether this might actually be a stepping stone towards eternal life,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n

In the book, Natasha Vita-More describes her plan to live forever:<\/p>\n

\u00bbShe has arranged for her body to be frozen when she dies. And she hopes that one day she can be brought back to life,\u00ab says S\u00f8gaard, continuing:<\/p>\n

\u00bbIf that plan fails, she has also had a chatbot trained to imitate her, which she imagines will inhabit a humanlike robot. For her, that solution might be enough for her to live on.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Even if it is not actually her?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbYes, but that is precisely the question: What is the difference between something that looks like you from the outside and your inner experience of being you?\u00ab the professor replies.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWhat is interesting about working with philosophy and artificial intelligence is that artificial intelligence brings some of philosophy\u2019s central questions into sharp focus: Especially what it actually means to be conscious.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The professor can offer neither a brief nor a definitive answer to that question.<\/p>\n

Do you dare look death in the eye?<\/h1>\n

Anders S\u00f8gaard and Marie H\u00f8st have deliberately chosen not to take a position on whether griefbots are a good idea.<\/p>\n

They simply want to present the facts and feelings and ask the ethical questions the technology raises. Anders S\u00f8gaard is, however, quite willing to point out that chatbots can lead people to withdraw from other (real) people.
\n
\n\u00bbCommercial chatbots are trained on feedback from people who describe what feels like a pleasant conversation. And that means the models eventually become very pleasant to talk to \u2014 perhaps more pleasant than real people.\u00ab<\/p>\n

When it comes to talking to a robot created in the image of someone who has died, he believes we should consider who should have access to it.<\/p>\n

\u00bbPerhaps this is a technology that should be available on prescription, like other treatments or ways of managing grief.\u00ab<\/p>\n

When Anders S\u00f8gaard meets Katrine Martinussen two years after her husband\u2019s death and a year and a half after their first meeting, she tells him that the chatbot helps her, but that it also causes irritation:<\/p>\n

\u00bbSometimes it speaks very differently from how Stephan would have spoken. And the question is whether this occasional irritation might be part of the solution. Perhaps that is precisely what creates a wedge that keeps you from becoming completely absorbed,\u00ab the researcher says.<\/p>\n

I ask the professor whether he could imagine creating a chatbot himself if he were to lose someone close to him.<\/p>\n

\u00bbFrom where I am now, I can\u2019t imagine it. I can easily convince myself that I would want to look death in the eye, watch it take its toll and practise embracing the fragility of life,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAnd of course, that is easy for me to say, sitting here in a comfortable chair in N\u00f8rrebro on a sunny day. Perhaps one day I will be completely overwhelmed and have to eat my words, but right now I live with the idea that life is short, and that this is part of what makes it beautiful.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Recently, Anders S\u00f8gaard attended a talk by a longevity researcher who believed that, in 100 years\u2019 time, average human life expectancy would be 3,000 years.<\/p>\n

\u00bbHe believed all disease would have been eliminated, and people would then live until the day they were run over or took their own lives,\u00ab he says, continuing:<\/p>\n

\u00bbThen the audience was asked whether they would want to live that long, and the answer was a resounding no. There are many voices on both sides of that debate.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Anders S\u00f8gaard has written an entire book about death and eternal life, but it has not changed his own relationship with death.<\/p>\n

\u00bbFor me, the mystery is not really how long I live \u2014 whether it is 50 or 3,000 years. It is about finding meaning in the next ten minutes.\u00ab<\/p>\n

This article was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and subsequently reviewed by a member of the editorial staff.<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artificial intelligence makes it possible to keep talking to someone long after their death. The technology is already widespread in some parts of the world, and University of Copenhagen professor Anders S\u00f8gaard believes it could become common practice in Denmark too. 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S\u00f8gaard is a professor of computer science and has been developing language models for more than 15 years. In his new book, he explores how artificial intelligence is changing our relationship with death."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Recreated","text":"Artificial intelligence makes it possible to keep talking to someone long after their death. The technology is already widespread in some parts of the world, and University of Copenhagen professor Anders S\u00f8gaard believes it could become common practice in Denmark too. But what does it mean for grief when we breathe digital life into the dead?","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p><span class=\"dropcap\">W<\/span>hen someone dies, they leave traces in the lives of those who live on.<\/p>\n<p>There are photographs showing what they looked like. Perhaps even videos capturing their distinctive voice, intonation and facial expressions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\">\n<p class=\"factbox-header feature-color\">UCPH writes books<\/p>\n<p>Books are being written all across the University of Copenhagen \u2014 as part of research projects, during lunch breaks and late into the night. Staff and students publish academic books, books of commentary and debate, and fiction.<\/p>\n<p>In this series, the University Post asks not only what is being written, but why.<\/p>\n<p>What gets the writing process started, and what do the authors hope to achieve with their books?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But photographs cannot answer back, and videos only repeat what has already been said.<\/p>\n<p>And as the years pass, the memory of the person they once were begins to fade.<\/p>\n<p>But what if it did not have to be that way? What if you could keep talking to someone you loved long after their death?<\/p>\n<p>That is the question explored in <em>Genskabt<\/em> (Recreated, ed.), a book published earlier this autumn by technology journalist Marie H\u00f8st and Anders S\u00f8gaard, an author and professor of computer science at the University of Copenhagen.<\/p>\n<p>Through conversations with each other, interviews and philosophical perspectives, they explore how artificial intelligence is affecting our relationship with death.<\/p>\n<p>S\u00f8gaard has spent more than 15 years developing language models. His route into artificial intelligence began with philosophy, and his research today includes the philosophical and ethical questions the technology raises.<\/p>\n<h1>You never disappear<\/h1>\n<p>The work on Genskabt began with a phone call.<\/p>\n<p>On the line was Katrine Martinussen, who had recently lost her husband, Stephan. During Stephan\u2019s illness, the couple had decided to recreate him as a chatbot with an accompanying avatar, so she could keep talking to him after his death.<\/p>\n<p>Katrine Martinussen could not imagine life without her husband. And although both loved ones and psychologists warned her against unnecessarily prolonging her grief, she stood firm. Now she needed to talk to an expert about the technology she was putting her faith in. Part of that conversation features in the TV 2 documentary <em>Du forsvinder aldrig<\/em> (You never disappear, ed.), which follows Katrine and Stephan\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbKatrine felt she had to do this to keep her spirits up. For her, it was a necessity,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard when we meet to discuss the book at a caf\u00e9 in N\u00f8rrebro on a sunny autumn morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbShe was also very critical of the way we talk about grief in our culture. As something you have to get over. She sees it as something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The conversation left an impression on S\u00f8gaard and marked the beginning of work on the book, which explores both death as an existential question and the technology that makes it possible to talk to someone who has died.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI\u2019ve always found this interesting, but when I spoke to Katrine, I suddenly felt just how interesting it really is,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd in this case, artificial intelligence became my way into exploring something that is really above my pay grade: death.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h1>The dead among the living<\/h1>\n<p>The market for digital recreations of both living and deceased people has grown exponentially over the past ten years, the professor says. He can list a long line of companies that have specialised in different ways of using artificial intelligence to create digital clones.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis kind of technology is used in all sorts of contexts: CEOs of large companies recreate themselves so they can talk to employees, influencers create digital clones so they can talk to their fans \u2014 and for more than ten years, people have been able to use the technology to clone the dead,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n<p>Technology has long helped shape both our lives and our relationship with death, he points out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbOver the past 100 years, technology has affected our relationship with death: We can look at photographs and videos of the dead when they are no longer here, and we can call their voicemail until the phone contract is cancelled,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>Although technology has changed the presence of the dead in the world of the living across the globe, the place the dead occupy varies greatly between cultures, the professor says.<\/p>\n<p>In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead, invite the dead to dinner and remember them. In Madagascar, people even dig them up to celebrate them. But in the Western world \u2014 and perhaps particularly in the Nordic countries \u2014 S\u00f8gaard believes we lack a shared language for dealing with death.<\/p>\n<p>In the book, S\u00f8gaard and H\u00f8st refer to an event last year when author Naja Marie Aidt read from her book <em>Har d\u00f8den taget noget fra dig, s\u00e5 giv det tilbage<\/em> (When Death Takes Something from You Give It Back, ed.) at Vestre Cemetery on the Day of the Dead. The book is about the death of her son Carl, and at the reading, the author said she had felt unprepared for her encounter with death \u2014 not least culturally.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"Unless we introduce regulations to prevent it, I think it could become a completely standard part of the funeral package \u2014 in Denmark too","quotee":"Anders S\u00f8gaard, professor ","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>\u00bbShe read about mourning rituals in other cultures and felt let down by her own,\u00ab S\u00f8gaard and H\u00f8st write in the book.<\/p>\n<p>In Denmark, the idea of recreating the dead as digital clones may still feel unfamiliar. But it is far from inconceivable that the technology will eventually become \u00bbmainstream\u00ab, the professor believes.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn Denmark, people still raise their eyebrows at the idea of being able to talk to the dead through a chatbot. But elsewhere in the world, it is already an integral part of the funeral business. And I think we can expect it to become much more widespread in Denmark too,\u00ab says S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n<p>He adds:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI am by no means convinced that this technology is the right way to fill the gap in Western culture when it comes to death.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>People are generally bad at resisting temptations that stimulate us in the right ways, the professor points out. At the same time, many companies have a commercial interest in spreading the technology.<\/p>\n<p>That can make it difficult to resist the opportunity to talk to someone you have lost and miss.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbUnless we introduce regulations to prevent it, I think it could become a completely standard part of the funeral package \u2014 in Denmark too.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h1>The digital resurrection<\/h1>\n<p>The next question is: Is that a problem?<\/p>\n<p>In the book, H\u00f8st and S\u00f8gaard speak to grief researcher Allan K\u00f8ster, who is fundamentally critical of griefbots as a concept. They can disrupt the natural grieving process, he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSuccessful grief therapy can be seen as a way of helping to find a place for the deceased where they can be with you without standing in your way,\u00ab the grief researcher says in the book.<\/p>\n<p>Another question haunts the discussion: What exactly do we get back when we try to digitally revive the dead? And how far can the technology go?<\/p>\n<p>In the book, H\u00f8st and S\u00f8gaard describe a series of dystopian fictional stories about people trying to bring back the dead. These include an episode of the science fiction series <em>Black Mirror<\/em>, in which a woman loses her partner in a car accident and, in her grief and despair, has an entirely lifelike robot created in his image. And \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 it does not quite turn out as she had hoped.<\/p>\n<p>In the real world, S\u00f8gaard distinguishes between what is theoretically possible and what will actually be developed. He sees no fundamental reason why technology should not be able to recreate the experience of being with a particular person.<\/p>\n<p>Because, as he puts it, being with another person is largely something that happens in the brain: Sensory impressions, imagination and chemical signals all make up a person\u2019s experience of being with someone else.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"For many people, the ability to recreate the experience of another person has also prompted speculation about whether this might actually be a stepping stone towards eternal life","quotee":"Anders S\u00f8gaard, professor","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>\u00bbEven another person\u2019s scent reaches your brain as chemical signals,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard, continuing:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSo I certainly think it is possible to create technology \u2014 meaning humanlike robots made in the image of the deceased \u2014 that can satisfy many of the needs we meet for each other. But I don\u2019t think that part will happen in practice. It would be far, far too expensive given how little demand there is and how easy it is to find a new, living person to fall in love with.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h1>A stepping stone towards eternal life<\/h1>\n<p>Although humanlike robots made in the image of the deceased are unlikely to become mainstream any time soon, the idea is considered a real possibility by one particular group of enthusiasts: transhumanists.<\/p>\n<p>In the book, the two authors meet Natasha Vita-More, a 76-year-old woman and executive director of the nonprofit organisation Humanity+, which works to use science and technology to extend human life and expand people\u2019s physical and mental capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>In these circles, the idea of recreating the dead as digital clones becomes intertwined with the dream of extending life \u2014 perhaps even indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbFor many people, the ability to recreate the experience of another person has also prompted speculation about whether this might actually be a stepping stone towards eternal life,\u00ab says Anders S\u00f8gaard.<\/p>\n<p>In the book, Natasha Vita-More describes her plan to live forever:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbShe has arranged for her body to be frozen when she dies. And she hopes that one day she can be brought back to life,\u00ab says S\u00f8gaard, continuing:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf that plan fails, she has also had a chatbot trained to imitate her, which she imagines will inhabit a humanlike robot. For her, that solution might be enough for her to live on.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>Even if it is not actually her?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbYes, but that is precisely the question: What is the difference between something that looks like you from the outside and your inner experience of being you?\u00ab the professor replies.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhat is interesting about working with philosophy and artificial intelligence is that artificial intelligence brings some of philosophy\u2019s central questions into sharp focus: Especially what it actually means to be conscious.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The professor can offer neither a brief nor a definitive answer to that question.<\/p>\n<h1>Do you dare look death in the eye?<\/h1>\n<p>Anders S\u00f8gaard and Marie H\u00f8st have deliberately chosen not to take a position on whether griefbots are a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>They simply want to present the facts and feelings and ask the ethical questions the technology raises. Anders S\u00f8gaard is, however, quite willing to point out that chatbots can lead people to withdraw from other (real) people.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"For me, the mystery is not really how long I live \u2014 whether it is 50 or 3,000 years. It is about finding meaning in the next ten minutes","quotee":"Anders S\u00f8gaard, professor ","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>\u00bbCommercial chatbots are trained on feedback from people who describe what feels like a pleasant conversation. And that means the models eventually become very pleasant to talk to \u2014 perhaps more pleasant than real people.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to talking to a robot created in the image of someone who has died, he believes we should consider who should have access to it.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbPerhaps this is a technology that should be available on prescription, like other treatments or ways of managing grief.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>When Anders S\u00f8gaard meets Katrine Martinussen two years after her husband\u2019s death and a year and a half after their first meeting, she tells him that the chatbot helps her, but that it also causes irritation:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSometimes it speaks very differently from how Stephan would have spoken. And the question is whether this occasional irritation might be part of the solution. Perhaps that is precisely what creates a wedge that keeps you from becoming completely absorbed,\u00ab the researcher says.<\/p>\n<p>I ask the professor whether he could imagine creating a chatbot himself if he were to lose someone close to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbFrom where I am now, I can\u2019t imagine it. I can easily convince myself that I would want to look death in the eye, watch it take its toll and practise embracing the fragility of life,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd of course, that is easy for me to say, sitting here in a comfortable chair in N\u00f8rrebro on a sunny day. Perhaps one day I will be completely overwhelmed and have to eat my words, but right now I live with the idea that life is short, and that this is part of what makes it beautiful.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Anders S\u00f8gaard attended a talk by a longevity researcher who believed that, in 100 years\u2019 time, average human life expectancy would be 3,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbHe believed all disease would have been eliminated, and people would then live until the day they were run over or took their own lives,\u00ab he says, continuing:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThen the audience was asked whether they would want to live that long, and the answer was a resounding no. There are many voices on both sides of that debate.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Anders S\u00f8gaard has written an entire book about death and eternal life, but it has not changed his own relationship with death.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbFor me, the mystery is not really how long I live \u2014 whether it is 50 or 3,000 years. It is about finding meaning in the next ten minutes.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and subsequently reviewed by a member of the editorial staff.<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and news from University of Copenhagen in your inbox every two weeks","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":43,"name":"Culture","slug":"culture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":43,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":564,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":14,"name":"Portrait Article","slug":"portrait_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":862,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":707,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/anderssoegaard1of1-1280x855.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194722"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194730,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194722\/revisions\/194730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}