AI App 2Wai for Communicating with the Deceased Faces Criticism

Users have criticized the new app from 2Wai for its ability to create digital replicas of deceased loved ones.

The co-founder of 2Wai is former Disney Channel actor Calum Worthy, known for his role as Dez in the series “Austin & Ally,” which aired from 2011 to 2016. The second co-founder is producer Russell Geyser.
On November 11, the company released a beta version of the app on iOS, where the HoloAvatar feature generates avatars for communication based on three minutes of uploaded video recordings, audio, and text prompts. They can be interacted with in real-time in over 40 languages.
The app is positioned as a “legacy preservation tool,” but it has drawn attention primarily for its ability to recreate the deceased.
Worthy’s promo video garnered nearly 40 million views. It features a pregnant woman video-calling an AI version of her late mother.

“What if the loved ones we’ve lost could be part of our future?” the video asks.

HoloAvatar operates on 2Wai’s patented FedBrain technology. It processes information on the user’s device to ensure privacy and limits responses to user-approved data, aiming to reduce hallucinations.
The app also allows for the creation of digital avatars of living people, for purposes such as audience interaction or coaching.

“Having worked for the past 20 years as an actor, writer, and producer, I’ve experienced firsthand how challenging it is to establish meaningful relationships with fans worldwide. Language barriers, time differences, and budget constraints hinder genuine connection,” said Worthy at a presentation in June.

In the same month, the company raised $5 million.
The app is free during the beta phase, with a tiered subscription system planned for the future.

Public Reaction

Users have sharply criticized the new product, calling it a “source of nightmares,” “demonic,” “dystopian,” and “commercializing grief.”
One commentator emphasized that the app “makes people psychopaths.” It “mimics loss rather than helping to cope with it.”

“You are not ‘building’ anything. You are preying on the deepest human feelings, looking for ways to leverage them for your profit. You are a parasite, a member of a parasitic class. You are hollowing out meaningful notions by using them as a wrapper for your greed,” remarked a user with the handle no war but class war.

Legal Concerns

Lawyers highlight that “death bots” exist in a legal and ethical “grey area.” They can be created without the deceased’s consent, and the ownership status of the digital avatar and associated data remains unclear.
Privacy laws typically protect only the living and rarely extend to posthumous data. As a result, relatives are vulnerable to the commercial exploitation of their grief amid unregulated access to interviews, voice recordings, and other personal materials of the deceased.
Another issue is the bots’ ability to deviate from the data uploaded into the AI.
Federal regulations in the U.S. do not govern posthumous digital avatars, but California’s AB 1836 law prohibits unauthorized use of AI to reproduce the voices or images of deceased performers without the consent of heirs.

Not a Precedent

2Wai joins a list of companies creating similar products:

• Founded in 2019, HereAfter AI generates “life story avatars” based on interviews conducted before death. 
• StoryFile offers interactive videos for memorial events;
• Launched in 2017, the chatbot Replika allows for simulating the deceased through text messages or calls.