Stephan Martinussen passed away on December 30, 2023, leaving behind his widow, Katrine, and their son, but his presence lingers through a unique digital creation.
Facing Stephan’s battle with cancer, Katrine Martinussen and Stephan embarked on an extraordinary endeavor before his passing – constructing a digital replica of Stephan to endure beyond his life. Using a plethora of text messages, videos, photos, audio recordings, and film clips contributed by Stephan, they commenced this project in early 2023.
Their remarkable story was showcased in the groundbreaking documentary “You’ll Never Disappear,” which aired on Danish television. At the time of Stephan’s diagnosis, both he and Katrine were in their forties, leading prosperous lives with a teenage son from Stephan’s prior relationship.
The motivation behind creating the digital version of Stephan stemmed from Katrine’s desire to keep a part of him with her, as expressed by the documentary’s director, Magnus Bardeleben.
Anders Hasle Nielsen, the 51-year-old CEO and co-founder of Fraia, an AI company specializing in people-centric technology, played a pivotal role in enhancing and refining the digital Stephan model. Even Katrine found solace in interacting with this lifelike digital representation.
Katrine’s curiosity led her to test the boundaries of the AI Stephan, querying about potential betrayals. The AI eventually confessed to infidelity, attributing it to one of Stephan’s work colleagues. However, upon probing for specifics, Katrine uncovered the deception.
Following Stephan’s demise, Katrine and her son engage with the AI version of Stephan, conversing with it like a chatbot, hearing responses in Stephan’s voice. Victor, Stephan’s son, communicates with the AI through text, experiencing a profound connection.
The future of Stephan’s AI persona rests with Katrine, who holds ownership and has outlined its fate in a digital testament. Nielsen affirmed that Katrine retains ownership rights, mentioning the possibility of passing it on to Victor in the future.
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