Qingming Festival Sees Booming 'AI Resurrection' Business: Priced at 20,000 Yuan in the Name of Love
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Amidst the light rain and apricot blossoms, another Qingming Festival arrives.
This year, AI has introduced new ways to express grief and commemorate ancestors. By creating virtual digital humans, people can restore the appearance and voice of the deceased in videos, even engaging in real-time conversations as if facing them in person.
▲AI brings photos to life (Image source: Taobao merchant) Over the past two months, cases of 'AI resurrection' have proliferated. Renowned musician Bao Xiaobo used AI technology to 'revive' his daughter who passed away two years ago, easing his longing for her. Meanwhile, netizens have employed AI to generate digital versions of public figures like Coco Lee, Godfrey Gao, and Qiao Renliang, seeking a form of digital companionship.
▲AI-generated images of Coco Lee (left), Godfrey Gao (middle), and Bao Xiaobo's daughter (right)
However, controversy has followed. According to a Southern Weekly survey covering thousands of respondents, over 60% of people are unwilling to use AI to 'resurrect' their loved ones. The 'AI resurrection' of public figures has even sparked fierce protests from their families, with some resorting to legal action to protect their rights, repeatedly trending on Weibo. ▲ Nearly 60% of people find it hard to accept digitally reviving loved ones
Focusing on the 'AI resurrection' industry, Zhidongxi discovered that there are many 'AI resurrection' products on the market, priced from single digits to nearly 20,000 yuan. Entrepreneurs have seized the opportunity through various product forms such as videos, tutorials, therapy calls, and hardware to attract customers. Some products indeed bring comfort to people, while others appear to be 'IQ taxes.'
▲ Expensive therapy services costing tens of thousands allow users to converse with AI-resurrected loved ones Focusing on the underlying technology, methods such as photo animation, Deepfake (AI face-swapping), and the creation of virtual digital humans differ significantly in terms of required costs and effects.
The Dizigui states: "Serve the dead as you would serve the living," meaning we should treat the deceased as if they were still alive. The advancement of generative AI technology can make descendants' perception of their ancestors more concrete, potentially reshaping traditional mourning customs.
Meanwhile, where should the boundaries of technological application lie? How can the AI digital human industry truly meet people's emotional needs and memory preservation, rather than committing illegal acts under the guise of warmth? These are questions worthy of industry attention. In recent months, cases of 'AI resurrection' of the deceased have emerged one after another.
In these 'AI resurrection' cases, some people aim to alleviate their longing for loved ones and seek companionship. For example, renowned musician Bao Xiaobo used AI technology to 'resurrect' his daughter who passed away two years ago. The 'digital daughter' can not only respond to conversations instantly but also sing for the family.
Others do it to make up for regrets and say a proper goodbye. For instance, according to media reports, a citizen named Wu Jun (pseudonym) lost his 22-year-old son in an unfortunate accident while studying in the UK. Wu Jun found an AI team to 'resurrect' his son through the method of 'digital life.' The concept of 'AI resurrection' has been extended to public figures. Some netizens have used AI to generate videos of famous celebrities such as Coco Lee, Qiao Renliang, and Godfrey Gao, which has triggered widespread controversy.
▲AI-'resurrected' Godfrey Gao (left), Coco Lee (middle), and Qiao Renliang (right) in the videos
On one hand, these 'AI-resurrected public figures' fulfill fans' longing for their idols. For instance, the AI-generated Coco Lee in the video says, 'I will always be with you,' while Qiao Renliang says, 'I haven't truly left,' providing comfort to their devoted fans. On the other hand, the 'AI resurrection' of public figures has been met with opposition from many of their family members. Qiao Renliang's father repeatedly urged netizens to delete the videos, Godfrey Gao's family strongly condemned and firmly opposed the practice, and CoCo Lee's mother entrusted a law firm to issue a legal statement to protect her rights. Most of them felt uncomfortable with the videos they saw and were angered by the unauthorized use of their loved ones' portraits for illegal profit.
As a new technology, the practice of 'AI resurrection' of loved ones has not yet been accepted by the majority.
On Weibo's trending list, a reading blogger conducted a survey on March 17 asking readers, 'Would you be willing to use AI technology to "resurrect" a deceased loved one?' The highly upvoted responses were all negative, citing reasons such as considering it a selfish desire, not equivalent to the loved one's will, and unable to represent the real person. ▲Many Weibo users expressed unwillingness to revive deceased relatives
Some people are willing, mainly to alleviate longing, soothe pain, and make up for regrets, but these individuals generally do not express a desire for long-term, high-frequency interaction. Even those who are willing to use AI to "revive" their loved ones tend to believe that this practice would diminish the solemnity of death, as life requires farewells and an endpoint.
▲Some Weibo users expressed willingness to use AI to revive deceased relatives According to a recent Southern Weekly survey titled "Would You Consider Digitally Reviving Deceased Loved Ones?" among 1,390 respondents, approximately 62% chose "No, AI isn't the real person."
25% selected "Yes, I miss them too much"; while nearly 13% were undecided, choosing "Depends on AI's development level" or "Unsure, difficult decision." Predictably, as AI technology matures and achieves greater realism, more people may adopt "AI revival" solutions.
▲Six in ten voters wouldn't consider digital revival of deceased relatives A search on major e-commerce platforms reveals that products under the "AI resurrection" search results vary in price from tens to thousands of yuan, covering different needs such as making photos talk, simulating voices, and real-time conversations in video content.
▲"AI resurrection" products on e-commerce platforms
Overall, these products can be categorized into several types, including selling tutorials on making "AI resurrection" videos, creating finished "AI resurrection" videos based on pictures, videos, and audio provided by buyers, and producing "AI resurrection" videos suitable for dissemination on short video platforms and monetization. ▲Content and price range of 'AI resurrection' products on e-commerce platforms
According to analysis of product purchase details pages, users buying these products generally have two types of needs: one is to express grief and remember loved ones, while the other is to capitalize on related hype for profit.
First, there are two methods for selling production tutorials: providing detailed video production tutorials and tools, or offering remote control online guidance. Zhixiangxi purchased a toolkit priced at 9.9 RMB, which includes the necessary tools for the 'AI resurrection' process along with corresponding video tutorials. The toolkit comprises AI painting tool Midjourney, digital human video tool D-ID website, photo restoration tool PhotoRestorer, AI digital human virtual website HeyGen, old photo colorization tool palette, free voice cloning tool OpenVoice, watermark removal tool Media, and the login address for ChatGPT.
▲E-commerce platform's 'AI resurrection' video tutorial toolkit
It is worth noting that most of these tools can be used for free by simply searching the internet. Such products are primarily targeted at users without an AI background or experience in tool applications, profiting from information asymmetry. The second type involves creating finished videos directly from materials such as photos, audio, and videos provided by the purchaser. The price varies significantly depending on the achievable video effects. The most basic service animates photos, followed by making photos speak or customizing scripts and voice tones. The highest-priced service offers real-time video conversations.
▲ Pricing for non-real-time "AI resurrection" products on e-commerce platforms
Additionally, videos like the highly viewed "AI resurrection" of celebrities on social platforms can make a single photo appear more realistic by adding gestures and other movements. The prices for such products are higher than the aforementioned services. For example, simply animating a photo costs around 1,000 yuan, requiring the purchaser to provide a photo and an audio clip. If the video needs to show the person moving, the purchaser must provide a video clip of at least 10 seconds in addition to the audio, with prices around 2,000 yuan. For example, according to a sales quote obtained by Zhidongxi, a video recreating the late singer Coco Lee through AI 'resurrection' technology is priced at 1,980 yuan.
▲ Zhidongxi inquires about pricing for AI 'resurrection' services of deceased loved ones with sales representatives
For personalized services featuring real-time text/voice interaction or video conversations, prices reportedly range from 5,000 to 20,000 yuan. Merchants indicate that permanent access to real-time video conversation functionality costs 19,800 yuan, which includes three 30-minute therapeutic sessions. These therapeutic services primarily consist of real-time video conversations. If users still require real-time video conversations later, they need to pay an additional 800 yuan each time for manual face-swapping during the conversation. Alternatively, there is an option to directly produce an all-in-one machine that can be used permanently.
The third option is short video production services, whose primary purpose is to generate traffic and monetize through creating 'AI resurrection' short videos on relevant platforms.
Their offerings are quite similar to the first option, including production tools and video tutorials, with additional guidance on monetizing short videos and related precautions. ▲ Short video course outline
It can be seen that although the tools required to create "AI resurrection" videos can be directly searched for on the internet, the corresponding production tutorials and related services have already formed an industrial chain. This aims to attract more users with such needs but lacking technical expertise, with some products already being purchased by nearly a hundred people.
From a technical perspective, the mainstream "AI resurrection" services currently available on the market can be roughly divided into three types. The first type is bringing old photos to life, which primarily utilizes technologies such as video generation, lip-sync, and voice cloning.
In February of this year, Alibaba's Tongyi Lab released the portrait video generation framework EMO, which achieves the effect of making photos speak. EMO uses the Stable Diffusion model as its foundational framework, reducing computational costs while maintaining high visual fidelity. (A domestic AI marvel debuts! Transforming Gao Qiqiang into Luo Xiang, Cai Xukun into the Rap King, and even collaborating with Sora.)
In the realm of voice cloning, OpenAI recently launched the Voice Engine model, which can generate highly similar and emotionally rich natural speech using text input and a single 15-second audio sample. The viral video of 'Taylor Swift' speaking fluent Chinese last year utilized this technology. The second method involves using AI face-swapping technology, where a real person behind the scenes impersonates a client's relative through a video call. This is one of the most widely recognized applications of Deepfake technology.
Deepfake's core principle relies on algorithms like generative adversarial networks (GANs) or convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to "graft" the target's face onto the imitated subject, allowing the protagonist in the video to be replaced by anyone. This technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, enabling the generation of highly realistic images and even videos that can almost pass as genuine.
Recently, a netizen named Mr. Sun used AI face-swapping technology to "transplant" his father's face onto his own, recording a video where he spoke in his father's voice to reassure his grandmother and ease her worries.
The third method is creating virtual digital humans, which represents the highest technical threshold. Unlike the first two methods that rely on pre-set dialogues, digital humans can generate conversations and engage in natural language interactions.
In early March, SenseTime used its 'Ruying' digital human technology to 'resurrect' its founder Tang Xiao'ou, who performed a stand-up comedy routine at the annual meeting. Natural language dialogues and the expressions and movements of characters are supported by multimodal large models. SenseTime utilizes the "SenseNova" large model system and the SenseCore AI infrastructure to achieve personalized customization of digital human avatars, presenting realistic lip-syncing, expressions, and movements.
▲SenseTime uses digital human technology to "revive" Tang Xiao'ou (Image source: SenseTime)
Overall, the first two technical approaches have matured significantly, with costs greatly reduced. However, due to their low technical barriers, the market is flooded with mixed quality and varying effects. The third approach, while more costly, delivers the most realistic results and may offer stronger interactive experiences in the future. The ethical issues surrounding 'AI resurrection' have made this technological development highly controversial. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, some users employ this method to memorialize deceased relatives. However, the market has simultaneously seen a surge in commercial activities selling related tools, gradually blurring the ethical boundaries of AI technology.
Unauthorized use of AI technology to 'resurrect' the deceased may constitute infringement. According to Article 994 of the Civil Code, 'When the name, portrait, reputation, honor, privacy, or remains of a deceased person are infringed upon, their spouse, children, or parents have the right to request the infringer to bear civil liability in accordance with the law. If the deceased has no spouse, children, or living parents, other close relatives may request the infringer to bear civil liability.' Thus, the portrait of the deceased remains protected by law.
Article 14 of the Provisions on the Administration of Deep Synthesis Internet Information Services states, 'When deep synthesis service providers and technical supporters provide functions for editing biometric information such as faces and voices, they shall remind users of deep synthesis services to inform the individuals being edited in accordance with the law and obtain their separate consent.' Content platforms also bear the responsibility of regulating AI-generated content. Last night, Douyin Safety Center issued a reminder regarding content creation during the Qingming Festival, advising users to use 'AI resurrection' technology cautiously: respect the deceased and their relatives. Without the prior consent of the deceased or authorization from their families, do not use AI or other technological means to 'resurrect' the deceased.
AI technology is a double-edged sword. As it becomes increasingly intertwined with people's daily lives, we must be more vigilant about the risks of its misuse and protect people's legitimate rights and interests.