A Futurist's Take on Ethics and the Evolution of Death Tech

Join us as we slide into the world of death technology and digital legacies with Dr. Sarah Parker Ward, an end-of-life strategist and professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Parker Ward shares her journey from digital advertising to becoming a pioneering voice in the intersection of technology and end-of-life planning. She offers unique insights into how the digital revolution is transforming our relationship with death and explores the emergence of innovative technologies like grief bots and digital legacy planning tools. Together we address crucial concerns about data privacy and ethical considerations in our posthumous digital footprint. Dr. Parker Ward discusses the importance of creating digital legacy advance directives and explains why the role of end-of-life planning is becoming increasingly complex in our interconnected world. We challenge you to consider how their digital presence will outlive them and provide practical guidance on managing digital assets after death.

0:00
0:00
Advertising will end in
play_arrow
pause
replay_10
forward_10
volume_up
volume_down
volume_off
share
speed
Skip ad
close
close
close
close
close

Description:

Join us as we slide into the world of death technology and digital legacies with Dr. Sarah Parker Ward, an end-of-life strategist and professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Parker Ward shares her journey from digital advertising to becoming a pioneering voice in the intersection of technology and end-of-life planning. She offers unique insights into how the digital revolution is transforming our relationship with death and explores the emergence of innovative technologies like grief bots and digital legacy planning tools. Together we address crucial concerns about data privacy and ethical considerations in our posthumous digital footprint. Dr. Parker Ward discusses the importance of creating digital legacy advance directives and explains why the role of end-of-life planning is becoming increasingly complex in our interconnected world. We challenge you to consider how their digital presence will outlive them and provide practical guidance on managing digital assets after death.

Related Podcast

Cybersecurity Expert thoughts on Digital Legacy Planning | Joshua Marpet

What happens to your "Digital Afterlife" when you are the only one who knows the master password to your life's work, your bank accounts, and 50,000 family photos? In this episode of The Digital Legacy Podcast, host Niki Weiss, Digital Thanatologist, sits down with Josh Marpet, a cybersecurity expert, ex-cop, and former fireman. With a career spent in digital forensics and disaster response, Josh brings a raw, unfiltered perspective to the vulnerabilities of our digital existence. You’ll discover: Why there will be more dead people than living ones on Facebook by 2050, and how the platform might monetize your virtual graveyard. The hard truth about Google Photos and iCloud—if your subscription lapses after you die, your lifetime of memories can vanish in 90 days. A cautionary tale of a young exchange owner who died without backing up his keys, leaving hundreds of people "SOL". The ethical and security implications of creating an AI "simulacrum" of yourself—could your digital twin eventually guess your passwords?. Why photos and videos are losing their weight in court due to AI manipulation, bringing us full circle back to the importance of eyewitness testimony. Navigating the shift toward non-human identities and service accounts that can outlive their creators. Because in the digital age, "Dead is Dead" is a myth—you leave behind a sprawling, complex kingdom that your family will either inherit or be held hostage by.

Listen Now

Comments