A cautiously optimistic view of griefbot technology.
This paper presents a cautiously optimistic view of Large Language Model (LLM)-driven grief support technologies and their impact on user's wellbeing. We focus on "Griefbot" technology: a type of chatbot designed to help individuals cope with the loss of loved ones by simulating interactions with th...
| Publicado en: | Phenomenology & the Cognitive Sciences Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 611 - 634 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Springer Nature
Jul2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=195286612&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 195286612 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 15687759 OKM jtl: Phenomenology & the Cognitive Sciences issn: 15687759 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 25 iid: 3 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 195286612 10.1007/s11097-026-10158-y ppf: 611 ppct: 23 formats: tig: atl: A cautiously optimistic view of griefbot technology. aug: au: Fu, Yuhan Mei, Yifan affil: https://ror.org/0064kty71 Institute of Logic and Cognition, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China https://ror.org/0064kty71 Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 XinGangxi Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, China su: Grief Artificial intelligence & ethics Memorials Affective computing Grief therapy Bereavement Language models sug: subj: Grief Artificial intelligence & ethics Memorials Affective computing Grief therapy Bereavement Language models keyword: AI Ethics Cognitive Science Domain-Specificity Griefbot Self-Identity ab: This paper presents a cautiously optimistic view of Large Language Model (LLM)-driven grief support technologies and their impact on user's wellbeing. We focus on "Griefbot" technology: a type of chatbot designed to help individuals cope with the loss of loved ones by simulating interactions with the deceased. Drawing from cognitive science, we argue that grief is best understood as a domain-specific psychological mechanism. This mechanism is activated by the loss of significant relationships due to death. Grief process aims at adaptation and self-identity reconstruction. We contend that griefbots do not disrupt the grieving process but instead align with it, serving as tools that enhance individuals' ability to navigate personal loss and reconstruct meaning. By situating Griefbot within the historical context of grief technologies—from Bronze Age artifacts to contemporary digital memorials—we argue that such LLMdriven tools complement, rather than replace, traditional grieving practices by offering a personalised and private space for reflection. Finally, we critically assess ethical concerns, including emotional dependency, autonomy, and the commodification of grief. We conclude that, if responsibly developed, Griefbot and similar AI technologies can enrich the grieving practices without fundamentally altering grief's psychological underpinnings. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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