Calum Worthy
Calum Worthy/Instagram

Calum Worthy, who starred in Disney's Austin & Ally, is in hot water after his company, 2wai, dropped its new video chat app that aims to reunite individuals with their deceased loved ones using artificial intelligence. Apparently, many were not impressed with what the company is aiming to achieve in its latest venture.

Calum Worthy Promotes 2wai's New Video Chat App

Earlier this week, Calum Worthy, who co-founded the start-up 2wai, shared a promotional video for its video chat app, which is currently on the App Store on X. The clip features a pregnant mum talking to her deceased mother through an AI-generated avatar, updating the latter about her pregnancy. It is a sweet mother-daughter moment in which the late grandmother shares some pregnancy tips with her daughter.

The app seemingly aims to keep the living connected to their deceased loved ones; the promotional video also shows the grandson talking to his late grandmother later on, when he is a teenager and well into adulthood.

The AI-generated avatar was from a recorded video of the deceased when they were still alive. Per the ad, it will only take a few minutes to capture the video, but those 'three minutes can last forever.'

According to Worthy, they are 'building a living archive of humanity, one story at a time.'

Social Media Users Criticise Worthy's App

Worthy's 2wai app is built for a reason, but it landed with the wrong audience, as not many wish to reunite with their loved ones through AI. Several were even furious that Worthy's company had to develop such an app.

Jonathan Haidt, who found the app 'sick,' said having a 'deep relationship with AI' is the 'last thing humanity needs.'

'This is sick, and this is our lonely future unless we start saying no to it now,' he added.

Another X user stressed that death and losing loved ones are a 'normal part of life.' However, the 2wai app is 'creating dependent and lobotomised adults' with their app, and it's 'vile.'

Alex Napier Holland calls Worthy a 'psychopath' for the app. He also discouraged Worthy from pushing the project.

'Stop building products before you really hurt someone,' @NapierHolland wrote.

Another commenter was furious and called the new app 'demonic, dishonest, and dehumanizing.' Apparently, they do not approve of being immortalised by AI.

'If I die and you put words in my mouth, I will curse you for all eternity. My value dies with me. I'm not a f*****g avatar,' @whois_John_Galt commented on Worthy's post on X.

Some likened the app to Black Mirror episode. 'Why are we living in a Black Mirror episode, I am so sick of this s**t,' one wrote.

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What Experts Say About Digital Ghost

2wai clearly wants to reconnect the living with their late loved ones through an AI-generated avatar. However, an expert warned that it could have 'devastating' psychological effects.

Dr Tomasz Hollanek, co-author of the journal article Griefbots, Deadbots, Postmortem Avatars: on Responsible Applications of Generative AI in the Digital Afterlife Industry,' warns that individuals could 'develop strong emotional bonds with such simulations' and leave them 'vulnerable to manipulation.'

He added that those apps could cause 'huge distress' to individuals when they are 'subjected to unwanted digital hauntings from alarmingly accurate AI recreations of those they have lost.'

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