Widow's 'Super Wake' Features Hologram Husband

Pam Cronrath honored her late husband, Bill, with a "super wake" that included a life-size hologram of him. After nearly 60 years of marriage, Pam sought a unique way to memorialize Bill, drawing inspiration from a past encounter with hologram technology. She collaborated with companies specializing in hologram and avatar creation to bring Bill back, in a sense, for his memorial service.

This project involved meticulously recreating Bill's likeness, voice, and motion, a challenging task as he had already passed away. Pam wrote a script based on their 60 years together, and engineers worked to replicate his voice from limited recordings. The resulting hologram delivered a prepared speech and even participated in a staged Q&A, impressing attendees with its realism.

While the hologram offered Pam comfort, resembling "photos or old videos" that help with grief, its use raises ethical questions. Experts like Dr. Elaine Kasket and Dr. Jennifer Cearns caution against the "platformization of grief" and the commodification of the deceased. They stress the importance of using such technology for memorialization rather than replacement, and ideally with the consent of the individual whose digital likeness is being used.