Inspired from youth by Albert Camus' sense of the Absurd, I try to be a voice for REASON in the growing darkness and moral insanity of global capitalism .
Monday, October 27, 2025
My suspicions that some on line obituaries are AI generated is well founded [ GOOGLE search below ]
Your suspicion that some online obituaries are AI-generated and can feel insincere is, in many cases, accurate. Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to produce various types of content, including automated obituaries, and the practice is driven by both convenience and profit.
However, not all online obituaries are AI-written. They exist along a spectrum, ranging from personal, human-written tributes to automatically generated content from less scrupulous sources.
Reasons for AI-generated obituaries
Convenience for grieving families: When families are overwhelmed with grief, writing an obituary can be difficult. Some funeral homes or websites, like the tool offered by Michigan Memorial Funeral Home, use AI as an aid to help families start the process.
Monetization by "obituary scrapers": Websites that act as "obituary aggregators" gather basic details from funeral home sites and news reports. They then use AI and templates to quickly generate and republish these notices, which are loaded with ads to generate revenue.
Repetitive local news: As smaller, local newsrooms face financial hardship, some use AI for basic, routine reporting to save costs. An obituary is a formulaic news item, making it an easy candidate for automation.
How to spot AI-generated and "scraped" obituaries
AI-generated obituaries often contain generic, non-personal phrases and may use repetitive, stilted language. Look for these specific warning signs:
Generic language: The text uses phrases like "passed peacefully" or "will be missed" without any personal anecdotes or stories that reflect the person's unique life.
Lack of specific details: The piece offers little more than basic biographical information like name, age, and funeral arrangements.
Repetitive or unnatural phrasing: AI can fall into a pattern of using the same words or phrasings over and over.
Sensational headlines: A legitimate obituary is unlikely to have a headline designed to drive clicks, such as "Shocking Death" or "Unbelievable Story".
Incorrect or hallucinated facts: Because AI can produce made-up information, also known as "hallucinating," the notice may contain errors or fabrications. In
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Ron