A development straight out of a horror story captivated attendees at the Los Angeles Comic Con from September 26th to 28th. Amidst the usual flurry of cosplayers, expensive merchandise, and celebrity meet-and-greets, guests were offered an unusual opportunity: a chance to meet the late, great icon of the comic book world, Stan Lee.
For just $15, fans could "personally" converse with the legendary co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four. The fact that Stan Lee passed away in 2018 was merely a technical hurdle, one solved by Proto Hologram and AI developers from Hyperreal, who successfully created and monetized an AI-powered digital likeness of Lee.
Heritage vs. Exploitation
The creators hail their project as an essential step in preserving the legacy of the prolific author. However, the fan reaction has been largely one of skepticism and unease. Turning the digital copy of a deceased person into a monetized convention attraction strikes many as deeply unethical.
In the near future, this practice threatens to become a mainstream trend, eerily similar to the spiritualist séances and other morbid practices popular at the end of the 19th century. The only difference is that modern technology - AI and holograms - has replaced the Ouija board and candlelight.
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A Black Mirror Precedent
The digital Stan Lee’s appearance comes at a time when global media outlets are sounding the alarm about a looming "neural network psychosis," citing numerous cases of individuals with fragile mental health experiencing genuine distress tied to hyper-realistic AI interactions.
Against this backdrop of rising AI anxiety, the monetization of a digital ghost looks like a chilling harbinger of a "Black Mirror" future.
The ethical boundaries are clearly dissolving, raising serious questions about the commodification of memory and the digital rights of the deceased.
