This New AI App Lets You “Talk” To Deceased Relatives – And It’s Causing Major Controversy Online

The idea is simple but unsettling: point your phone at yourself, upload a brief clip, and voilà – you’ve created a digital twin.

Now imagine that twin is not yourself but someone you’ve lost. 2wai, the new avatar-powered app co-founded by former Disney Channel actor Calum Worthy, which promises just that – real-time conversations with avatars of deceased loved ones. In a world where social media often promises comfort and connection, this app is stirring far more than warm fuzzy feelings.

On 11 November, Worthy posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “What if the loved ones we’ve lost could be part of our future?” The post had racked up over 40.9 million views at the time of writing.

Worthy doesn’t just stop at deceased family members: 2wai also offers avatars of historical figures, personal trainers, astrologers, and even a version of Worthy himself – complete with his voice and mannerisms.

 

 

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The promo video that launched the controversy centres on a pregnant woman consulting “her mother” via phone – only to reveal the “mother” is a 2wai avatar of someone already passed away. The tagline: “With 2wai, three minutes can last forever.”

Two perspectives collide here: the technophile’s thrill at what’s possible and the humanist’s alarm at what might be lost. On one hand, advanced AI and holographic avatar creation are undeniably impressive feats. On the other, the ethical landscape is murky – once you blur the line between memory and model, what happens to grief, authenticity, and the way we remember those who’ve gone?

“Isn’t this very nearly a literal Black Mirror episode?” wrote one user on X, referencing the dystopian TV series.
“What a wonderful idea – gradually replace my internal representation and memories of my deceased loved ones with AI slop!” added another.

The reaction has been intense: one user labelled the app “objectively one of the most evil ideas imaginable,” earning 210,000 likes. Another observed, “a former Disney Channel star creating the most evil thing I’ve ever seen in my life wasn’t really what I was expecting,” and collected 139,000 likes. A further comment, gaining 12,000 likes, called the app “demonic, dishonest, and dehumanizing.”

Yet the creators of 2wai are unapologetically ambitious. According to the app’s website, their mission is to serve as “the world’s first social app for avatars and the human layer for AI.” With a few minutes of video captured by your phone camera, you create an avatar that “looks and talks like you, and even shares the same memories.” Beyond the deceased-relatives feature, they market avatars as fan-engagement tools for creators and brands – offering “life-like HoloAvatars” that speak multiple languages, bridge celebrity-fan gaps, and even bring fictional characters to life.

It’s the collision of three powerful currents: the mainstreaming of AI, the commodification of identity, and the explosion of nostalgia-tech. For us here at The Modems HQ, it’s a moment to pause: do we celebrate an empowering new frontier of personalised digital presence – or recoil at a future where algorithms replay human relationships?

We break it down…

What Exactly Is 2wai?

At its core, 2wai uses computer vision, voice-synthesis and language-generation to create avatars that behave like conversational partners. The user captures a short self-video; the system maps their face, models their voice, and uses these data points to craft an interactive avatar. The company claims it can create, in minutes, an avatar that not only mimics appearance and speech, but also integrates “shared memories.” The marketing materials highlight “step-by-step process to create your very own digital twin”.

This is not far removed from the hype around generative AI chatbots, deep-fakes, and voice-cloning tech – but 2wai packages it into hyper-personalised, emotionally charged use-cases.

The Use-Cases Beyond Grief:

The app presents itself not only as a way to “chat with deceased relatives,” but also as a learning and entertainment platform. Users can interact with avatars of historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Frida Kahlo or Henry VIII as “real-time teaching assistants”. The app also features avatars like “Luca” (a personal chef), “Celeste” (an astrologist) and “Darius” (a personal trainer).

There’s even an avatar of Calum Worthy himself. Essentially, the platform is pitching a world where brands, celebrities and historical icons can “live” in your phone.

The Ethical Dilemma:

For those of us who grew up watching teen stars morph into adult entrepreneurs, there’s something fascinating about Calum Worthy’s pivot. But this isn’t just another celeb-backed lifestyle brand – it’s a tech with implications. When you can create an avatar of someone who’s gone, what does that say about grief, memory and closure?

And what about consent, data-use and long-term psychological impact? If a loved one becomes a downloadable avatar, does the experience honour them – or commodify them? The backlash shows these are not abstract questions but visceral human concerns.

The Modems Verdict:

Pop culture vibrated. Comparisons to the dystopian anthology series Black Mirror were immediate and widespread. The shock factor, the uncanny valley of speaking to a deceased person via avatar, and the emotional freight of the ad clip – all combined for viral potential. Whether you view it as sensational marketing or genuine innovation, the attention is real.

It raises the bigger question: how will future waves of avatar-driven tech reshape our sense of self, our relationships, and even our mourning? In the end, 2wai sits neatly in the “brilliant or bone-chilling” quadrant of tech innovation.

If you’re curious (or cautious) about where this goes next, you’re not alone. Because if you can ask your departed grandmother for maternity advice via avatar, what else might we talk about one day?