When you're dead, you're dead ... maybe

A screenshot from the 2Wai trailer. Image: 2Wai

In Ghost, Whoopi Goldberg plays Oda Mae Brown, a  fake psychic medium who actually sees Sam, a real ghost, 
but no one else can. Hilarious says it all. 

To whit ...

Fast forward from 1990 to 2025 and you get 2Wai where you too can access the dead & even more. 

As long as one knows it's a product, no problem but for some folks, Oda Mae Brown comes to mind ...

• 2Wai’s app generates conversational video avatars from a few minutes of recordings,
  drawing comparisons to "Black Mirror."
• Critics warn the tech exploits vulnerable mourners and operates in a legal gray zone
  with weak post-mortem privacy protections.
• The launch intensifies scrutiny of a grief-tech industry struggling
  with consent, data ownership, and the risks of AI-generated “digital ghosts.”

2Wai, founded by Calum Worthy—known for portraying Dez on the Disney series "Austin & Ally" from 2011 to 2016—and producer Russell Geyser, released its iOS beta on November 11. The app’s “HoloAvatar” feature generates conversational video avatars from as little as three minutes of uploaded footage, audio, and text inputs, enabling real-time chats in over 40 languages.

While marketed as a tool for legacy preservation, the deceased-recreation capability has dominated headlines, evoking comparisons to the dystopian 2013 Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back,” in which a grieving widow animates her late husband’s digital ghost.

At the end, the avatar resides forever in the attic ...

Martha (Hayley Atwell, right) interacts with a synthetic re-creation
of her deceased boyfriend Ash (Domhnall Gleeson).