AI-Generated Content of Charlie Kirk Sparks New Era of Digital Grief

Charlie Kirk's AI resurrection ushers in a new era of digital grief

(RNS) -- Megachurch pastor Jack Graham was in the middle of his Sunday message to Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, this past weekend when he paused to cue up an unusual sermon illustration. After encouraging people to respond to the killing of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk by turning to God, he instructed the congregation to listen to a roughly minute-long audio clip of what sounded like Kirk delivering a short speech. "Hear what Charlie is saying regarding what happened to him this past week," Graham said. As the clip, which encouraged listeners to "pick up your cross, and get back in the fight," ended, the congregation burst into applause. A few seconds later, they rose to their feet in a standing ovation. But the clip they listened to was not, in fact, Charlie Kirk from beyond the grave. As Graham made clear when he introduced the segment, the congregation was listening to a production generated entirely by artificial intelligence: The clip, which has gone viral online, was a cloned version of Kirk's voice delivering what appeared to be an AI-generated response from a chatbot asked what Kirk would say in the wake of his own death. It's unclear where the video originated, but at least two other large evangelical Protestant churches -- Dream City Church in Arizona and Awaken Church, San Marcos in California -- also played it during their services that day. Pastors at both churches made clear the clips were AI; even so, the segment triggered applause each time. ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ The message was part of a wave of AI-generated content that flooded social media in the wake of Kirk's killing, with supporters and even Kirk's former colleagues sharing images, videos and audio messages that featured the felled activist and that were made by artificial intelligence. Amid outrage over Kirk's killing and debate about his legacy, the surge, which has been most visible on social media platforms, showcased a new form of public mourning and remembrance, one in which the dead are grieved with hyperreal but entirely fictional reconstructions crafted in seconds by AI services. AI-generated images and videos of Kirk appeared within hours of his death, some growing in popularity over the next few days. Many featured religious themes, a byproduct of Kirk's own personal and political shift toward evangelical Christianity near the end of his life. Imagining Kirk in heaven was a common theme. In one clip, which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook and X, Kirk stares into a camera as soft piano music plays. "I'm Charlie. My faith cost me my life, but now I stand forever in glory," the AI-generated Kirk says. The fictional Kirk then introduces four historical Christian martyrs and saints -- Paul, Stephen, Andrew and Peter. These, also AI-generated characters, briefly recount their own stories of martyrdom before the AI Kirk urges listeners to root themselves in a "Bible-believing church," join in a "spiritual" battle and "overwhelm the world with Jesus." Other clips are shorter, but more direct. One depicts an AI-generated Kirk taking selfies in heaven with prominent Americans who were assassinated, such as Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy as well as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As the digital Kirk poses with the historical icons in a cloudy vista, "Knocking on Heaven's Door" plays in the background. Many AI-generated clips depict Kirk with Jesus Christ. One shows Kirk sitting in the same tent where he was shot and killed, but then suddenly leaping out of his chair and running up a staircase to a smiling Jesus. Another features an AI-generated Kirk praying on a park bench as Scripture is flashed across the screen and "Come Jesus Come" by CeCe Winans plays in the background. Eventually, a radiant Jesus arrives, and the two embrace. Yet another shows Jesus and Kirk, holding a Make America Great Again hat, walking toward the camera among the clouds. "Welcome, my son," Jesus says, embracing the AI Kirk. "Your work is done. Come rest." Apparent AI-generated images have even been used by Kirk's former co-workers. Andrew Kolvet, who produced "The Charlie Kirk Show" and has hosted the program multiple times since Kirk's killing, posted what appears to be an AI-generated image of Kirk alongside other assassinated Americans from U.S. history such as King and Lincoln, as well as Jesus Christ. (The image sparked criticism, with detractors noting that the real-life Kirk criticized King. The Rev. Bernice King, one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughters, said of the image, "there are so many things wrong with this.") Depictions of famous figures in heaven, or even in relationship with Jesus, are hardly unusual. But the particular utilization of AI to commemorate Kirk -- with content flooding the internet within hours of his death -- may be an outgrowth of the technology's wide use among devotees of President Donald Trump. That includes the Trump administration itself: On several occasions, AI-generated images and memes have appeared on official government accounts. As Charlie Warzel, who writes on technology and media, observed in The Atlantic in August, the "high-resolution, low-budget look of generative-AI images appears to be fusing with the meme-loving aesthetic of the MAGA movement." Warzel added: "At least in the fever swamps of social media, AI art is becoming MAGA-coded. The GOP is becoming the party of AI slop." Kirk, of course, was an avid Trump supporter who played a significant role in helping the president return to power, and some of the AI-generated content that proliferated after the activist's death has been tied to conservative causes. Many images, for instance, linked Kirk's death to the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee whose slaying on a bus in Charlotte, North Carolina, became a source of outrage for Kirk and other conservatives shortly before Kirk's own assassination. One widely shared image shows an AI-generated Kirk comforting Zarutska as she sits on the bus where she was killed, bleeding. At least one person created a video version of the image that features the hymn "How Great Thou Art." A similar AI-generated video shows Kirk embracing Zarutska on the bus as they both flap newly grown angel wings. Another AI-generated video pushed a pro-Israel message -- a topic that has sparked division among conservatives, and which Kirk was reportedly trying to mitigate shortly before his death. In the video, an AI-generated Kirk, adorned with angel wings and a white robe, speaks from heaven as he declares: "I'm in a better place now, but America and Israel will never be the same." The AI Kirk insists that the U.S. and Israel are both based on "faith, on freedom, on family," shortly before a bald eagle is shown landing on his head as he stands in front of Israeli and U.S. flags. Despite their viral nature, it's unclear precisely what role these virtually enhanced remembrances play in the lives of those who mourn Kirk's death. But social media boosters of the creations often frame them as a form of catharsis: On TikTok, influencer Taylor Diazmercado posted a short video of herself last week reacting to the AI-generated audio clip of Kirk -- which she clearly labeled as such -- that would later be used in churches. As an entirely fabricated voice speaks lines Kirk never said in life, Diazmercado can be seen visibly weeping, frequently wiping away tears as she nods along in-between sobs. Beneath the video, which had 123,000 likes as of Wednesday (Sept. 17), she added a short caption: "What a man."

Thanks to AI, Charlie Kirk Will Never Die for Some People

There really is no rest for the wicked. Over the weekend, according to Religious News Service, at least three churches played for their congregations a posthumous message from Charlie Kirk, in which he assured those in the pews, "I'm fine, not because my body is fine, but because my soul is secure in Christ. Death is not the end, it's a promotion." Of course, it wasn't actually Kirk speaking from his spot in the afterlife. It was an AI-generated clip that, prior to getting played in these houses of worship, made the rounds on social media. The audio appears to have originated on TikTok, generated by the user NioScript, who posted the 51-second message a day after Kirk was killed. It has since garnered millions of listens, shared by users who record themselves reacting and crying as they hear the AI-generated message. All of that eventually led to the audio getting played in churches like Prestonwood Baptist in Texas, where it is introduced by Pastor Jack Graham as AIâ€"but as something that "moved" him and that he is sharing so his congregation can "Hear what Charlie is saying regarding what happened to him this past week." It is, again, not what Charlie Kirk is saying. But that has not stopped people from talking to it as if it were real. Members of Prestonwood Baptist gave the video a standing ovation. Audiences of Dream City Church in Arizona and Awaken Church, San Marcos, in California, both of which ran the clips, also applauded, as pointed out by Religious News Service. Users on social media have responded to the audio with captions and comments like "This is exactly what Charlie would say if he could talk to us right now," or "I know it's AI but you can't tell me this isn't exactly what he'd say." This type of coping with the feeling of loss is not totally unique. People have always sought to remember and preserve the people they love after they pass, and technology has facilitated new ways to achieve that, whether it is an endless stream of photos that spark memories or the person's online presence turned into a digital memorial. In the world of bereavement literature, these are often referred to as continuing bonds. In that way, an AI-generated audio clip or video of someone like Kirk isn't all that different from sharing stories about him to keep his memory alive. It is different in that it's a complete fabrication. It's not a memory, which can also be faulty, but an invention from whole cloth. Yes, it may have access to Kirk's words, likeness, and voice, all of which are omnipresent on the internet. But it is, as a large language model, incapable of doing anything but trying to autofill the void for the grieving. Creating an AI-replicated version of a deceased person to aid in the grieving process is a growing industry. A recent article in Nature highlights several efforts to better understand if chatbots trained on a loved one's likeness can help the grieving work through the complex and intense feelings that come with loss. While there is some evidence to suggest users of "griefbots" have managed to find some internal sense of closure with their lost loved ones, there are real risks of harming people in a fragile emotional state, including making it hard to let go of the bot version of the person. There is also the very real worry that we simply aren't able to differentiate between our real memories of a person and AI-generated ones that are implanted in our minds through these types of interactions. A study conducted by MIT Media Lab found that exposing a person to even a single AI-edited image can affect a person's memory, and people exposed to AI-generated images “reported high levels of confidence in their false memories." The reality for the people who are memorializing Kirk this way is that the vast majority of them don't actually know him. They have a parasocial relationship with him that they would like to continue, and the AI message allows that to happen because it, in their minds, captures his voiceâ€"or, maybe more accurately, captures what they want to hear. There is already plenty of ongoing debate about who exactly Charlie Kirk was and how he should be remembered without an AI-generated version of him injected into the conversation. But for people who are grieving his loss, should they believe that there is any part of Kirk's soul living in that AI voice, perhaps just let it rest.

Charlie Kirk's AI resurrection ushers in a new era of digital grief

(RNS) -- Megachurch pastor Jack Graham was in the middle of his Sunday message to Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, this past weekend when he paused to cue up an unusual sermon illustration. After encouraging people to respond to the killing of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk by turning to God, he instructed the congregation to listen to a roughly minute-long audio clip of what sounded like Kirk delivering a short speech. "Hear what Charlie is saying regarding what happened to him this past week," Graham said. As the clip, which encouraged listeners to "pick up your cross, and get back in the fight," ended, the congregation burst into applause. A few seconds later, they rose to their feet in a standing ovation. But the clip they listened to was not, in fact, Charlie Kirk from beyond the grave. As Graham made clear when he introduced the segment, the congregation was listening to a production generated entirely by artificial intelligence: The clip, which has gone viral online, was a cloned version of Kirk's voice delivering what appeared to be an AI-generated response from a chatbot asked what Kirk would say in the wake of his own death. It's unclear where the video originated, but at least two other large evangelical Protestant churches -- Dream City Church in Arizona and Awaken Church, San Marcos in California -- also played it during their services that day. Pastors at both churches made clear the clips were AI; even so, the segment triggered applause each time. ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ The message was part of a wave of AI-generated content that flooded social media in the wake of Kirk's killing, with supporters and even Kirk's former colleagues sharing images, videos and audio messages that featured the felled activist and that were made by artificial intelligence. Amid outrage over Kirk's killing and debate about his legacy, the surge, which has been most visible on social media platforms, showcased a new form of public mourning and remembrance, one in which the dead are grieved with hyperreal but entirely fictional reconstructions crafted in seconds by AI services. AI-generated images and videos of Kirk appeared within hours of his death, some growing in popularity over the next few days. Many featured religious themes, a byproduct of Kirk's own personal and political shift toward evangelical Christianity near the end of his life. Imagining Kirk in heaven was a common theme. In one clip, which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook and X, Kirk stares into a camera as soft piano music plays. "I'm Charlie. My faith cost me my life, but now I stand forever in glory," the AI-generated Kirk says. The fictional Kirk then introduces four historical Christian martyrs and saints -- Paul, Stephen, Andrew and Peter. These, also AI-generated characters, briefly recount their own stories of martyrdom before the AI Kirk urges listeners to root themselves in a "Bible-believing church," join in a "spiritual" battle and "overwhelm the world with Jesus." Other clips are shorter, but more direct. One depicts an AI-generated Kirk taking selfies in heaven with prominent Americans who were assassinated, such as Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy as well as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As the digital Kirk poses with the historical icons in a cloudy vista, "Knocking on Heaven's Door" plays in the background. Many AI-generated clips depict Kirk with Jesus Christ. One shows Kirk sitting in the same tent where he was shot and killed, but then suddenly leaping out of his chair and running up a staircase to a smiling Jesus. Another features an AI-generated Kirk praying on a park bench as Scripture is flashed across the screen and "Come Jesus Come" by CeCe Winans plays in the background. Eventually, a radiant Jesus arrives, and the two embrace. Yet another shows Jesus and Kirk, holding a Make America Great Again hat, walking toward the camera among the clouds. "Welcome, my son," Jesus says, embracing the AI Kirk. "Your work is done. Come rest." Apparent AI-generated images have even been used by Kirk's former co-workers. Andrew Kolvet, who produced "The Charlie Kirk Show" and has hosted the program multiple times since Kirk's killing, posted what appears to be an AI-generated image of Kirk alongside other assassinated Americans from U.S. history such as King and Lincoln, as well as Jesus Christ. (The image sparked criticism, with detractors noting that the real-life Kirk criticized King. The Rev. Bernice King, one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughters, said of the image, "there are so many things wrong with this.") Depictions of famous figures in heaven, or even in relationship with Jesus, are hardly unusual. But the particular utilization of AI to commemorate Kirk -- with content flooding the internet within hours of his death -- may be an outgrowth of the technology's wide use among devotees of President Donald Trump. That includes the Trump administration itself: On several occasions, AI-generated images and memes have appeared on official government accounts. As Charlie Warzel, who writes on technology and media, observed in The Atlantic in August, the "high-resolution, low-budget look of generative-AI images appears to be fusing with the meme-loving aesthetic of the MAGA movement." Warzel added: "At least in the fever swamps of social media, AI art is becoming MAGA-coded. The GOP is becoming the party of AI slop." Kirk, of course, was an avid Trump supporter who played a significant role in helping the president return to power, and some of the AI-generated content that proliferated after the activist's death has been tied to conservative causes. Many images, for instance, linked Kirk's death to the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee whose slaying on a bus in Charlotte, North Carolina, became a source of outrage for Kirk and other conservatives shortly before Kirk's own assassination. One widely shared image shows an AI-generated Kirk comforting Zarutska as she sits on the bus where she was killed, bleeding. At least one person created a video version of the image that features the hymn "How Great Thou Art." A similar AI-generated video shows Kirk embracing Zarutska on the bus as they both flap newly grown angel wings. Another AI-generated video pushed a pro-Israel message -- a topic that has sparked division among conservatives, and which Kirk was reportedly trying to mitigate shortly before his death. In the video, an AI-generated Kirk, adorned with angel wings and a white robe, speaks from heaven as he declares: "I'm in a better place now, but America and Israel will never be the same." The AI Kirk insists that the U.S. and Israel are both based on "faith, on freedom, on family," shortly before a bald eagle is shown landing on his head as he stands in front of Israeli and U.S. flags. Despite their viral nature, it's unclear precisely what role these virtually enhanced remembrances play in the lives of those who mourn Kirk's death. But social media boosters of the creations often frame them as a form of catharsis: On TikTok, influencer Taylor Diazmercado posted a short video of herself last week reacting to the AI-generated audio clip of Kirk -- which she clearly labeled as such -- that would later be used in churches. As an entirely fabricated voice speaks lines Kirk never said in life, Diazmercado can be seen visibly weeping, frequently wiping away tears as she nods along in-between sobs. Beneath the video, which had 123,000 likes as of Wednesday (Sept. 17), she added a short caption: "What a man."