Former Disney star Calum Worthy has set off a heated debate online after unveiling 2wai, an AI app that allows users to talk to digital avatars of deceased loved ones.
The technology, which many are calling digital necromancy, has drawn both fascination and fierce criticism, and plenty of comparisons to Black Mirror, the dystopian Netflix series.
Worthy, who’s best known for Austin & Ally and American Vandal, posted a promotional video for the app on X (formerly Twitter).
The clip begins innocently enough, showing a pregnant woman chatting with her “mother” over a video call and receiving the kind of warm, reassuring advice you’d expect from a parent.
However, as the video fast-forwards, her mother appears again and again, unchanged, checking in on her grandson as he grows from a newborn to an adult.
The twist lands at the end: The “grandmother” is an AI-generated avatar created from a three-minute video recording, brought to life through 2wai’s technology. The promo’s closing line says: “With 2wai, three minutes can last forever.”
In the caption for the promo, Worthy asked, “What if the loved ones we’ve lost could be part of our future?” He later elaborated in a follow-up post:
The app is currently in beta on the App Store, with an Android version “coming soon.”
From Ethics Panic to Black Mirror Jokes
While some viewers found the idea touching or technologically impressive, many X users reacted with discomfort or outright horror.
Some comments went as far as saying Worthy should “be put in prison” or “banished to the shadow realm” for creating what they see as an unsettling tool that commercializes grief.
Others raised concerns around:
- Consent: Did the deceased agree to be digitally resurrected?
- Mental health: Could interacting with an AI version of a loved one disrupt the grieving process?
- Authenticity: Can an avatar truly reflect someone’s personality, or is it just a simulation?
The promo also unleashed a wave of comparisons to Black Mirror, particularly the season 2 episode “Be Right Back,” in which Hayley Atwell’s character uses AI to recreate her dead boyfriend, who is portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson.
One user summed up the mood, saying, “This looks like the most disturbing episode of Black Mirror to date. Can’t wait!”
2wai is entering a rapidly expanding space of “grief tech,” where AI systems recreate voices, faces, and personalities of people who have passed away.
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While some see it as a powerful way to preserve memories, others warn it could blur emotional boundaries and create new ethical dilemmas. As AI continues pushing into deeply personal spaces, questions around consent, digital rights, and emotional safety are becoming more urgent.
The 2wai app has revived a hotly debated issue in tech: should we resurrect the dead as AI?
