In The NOCO
KUNC
KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.
Radio: KUNC 91.5 FM
Categories: News & Politics
Listen to the last episode:
In 2024, chatbots are part of ordinary life. They pop up on your screen while you’re checking your bank account or making an online purchase.
But a few years from now it may be just as easy to have a conversation with a chatbot who recreates a dead loved one. That’s the idea behind a kind of technology called a generative ghost.
Jed Brubaker is associate professor at the University of Colorado and one of the people leading the development of generative ghosts. Jed is part of a team that recently received $75,000 from Google to study how generative ghosts could become part of our lives.
In the NoCo’s Brad Turner spoke with Jed about what a visit with the generative ghost of a dead loved one would feel like.
By the way, Jed also leads the Digital Legacy Clinic – a free clinic at CU to help people who want to get a deceased loved one’s digital affairs in order.
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.
Previous episodes
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985 - Can new technology reconnect us with a dead loved one? Meet CU’s ‘generative ghosts’ expertFri, 22 Nov 2024
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984 - Colorado winters are hard on your trees. Here’s a survival guide to help them throughThu, 21 Nov 2024
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983 - How we treat concussions in kids has changed. This doctor wants to make sure parents are getting the messageWed, 20 Nov 2024
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982 - Two slightly different chickadee birdsongs show how humans are reshaping Colorado’s ecosystemsTue, 19 Nov 2024
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981 - How an ancient Greek play being staged in Greeley taps into some intense post-election vibesFri, 15 Nov 2024
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980 - How creating dorm-style housing units out of unused office space could ease Denver’s housing crisisThu, 14 Nov 2024
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979 - Could this bold new strategy for replanting trees after a wildfire help save Colorado’s forests?Wed, 13 Nov 2024
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978 - ‘Junk fees’ from landlords can add hundreds of dollars to monthly housing costs. Here’s how tenants can fight backTue, 12 Nov 2024
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977 - This unique program lets military veterans become filmmakers – and learn how to process traumaFri, 08 Nov 2024
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976 - How Coloradans voted on big cat hunting, ranked-choice voting, and a firearms taxThu, 07 Nov 2024
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975 - Colorado election roundup: Abortion, same-sex marriage, Lauren Boebert and that slaughterhouse banWed, 06 Nov 2024
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974 - It's Election Day. Here’s how Colorado election officials make voting secureTue, 05 Nov 2024
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973 - Workers at Rocky Flats helped build America’s nuclear arsenal. A new film digs into memories of the controversial plantFri, 01 Nov 2024
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972 - During a natural disaster, not everyone can evacuate. A CU researcher wants to understand whyThu, 31 Oct 2024
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971 - Hospitals in Colorado can charge wildly different fees for the same procedure. A new tool offers patients some clarityWed, 30 Oct 2024
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970 - Some Colorado schools use facial recognition software to make students safer. Is it also a civil rights violation?Tue, 29 Oct 2024
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969 - An underground fire near Boulder has burned for more than a century. Here’s the plan to finally extinguish itFri, 25 Oct 2024
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968 - How to save yourself – or your employees – from overwhelming ‘technostress’ at work, according to a CU researcherThu, 24 Oct 2024
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967 - Studying how pythons devour enormous meals may help doctors treat people with heart disease, a CU scientist saysWed, 23 Oct 2024
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966 - There’s a shortage of veterinary care in Colorado, and it’s affecting pets. A possible solution is on the ballotTue, 22 Oct 2024
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965 - Yes, wildfires can devastate communities – but they can also help strengthen them, this CU researcher saysFri, 18 Oct 2024
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964 - A unique program gave a guaranteed income to 800 people experiencing homelessness in Denver. How much did it actually help?Thu, 17 Oct 2024
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963 - Women traditionally played a key role when a family mourned. A Denver museum offers a unique look at whyWed, 16 Oct 2024
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962 - As Election Day nears, deepfakes and misinformation are serious threats. Colorado leaders have a plan to respondTue, 15 Oct 2024
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961 - Presenting: 'The Colorado Dream: Ending the Hate State'Sun, 13 Oct 2024
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960 - How Colorado moved forward after being labeled ‘The Hate State’Fri, 11 Oct 2024
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959 - A proposed tax on guns and ammo could fund millions in aid for victims of violent crimes. Will voters back it?Thu, 10 Oct 2024
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958 - In Colorado, more officers are using artificial intelligence to write their police reports. Is that a good thing?Wed, 09 Oct 2024
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957 - There's a doctor shortage in Colorado. UNC's new medical school hopes to address thatTue, 08 Oct 2024
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956 - Meet the man who gave Colorado its own signature chile pepper – and sparked a rivalry with New MexicoFri, 04 Oct 2024
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955 - Colorado schools are issuing more out-of-school suspensions. Here’s why that’s troubling – and how to address itThu, 03 Oct 2024
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954 - Colorado cities are growing in population while shrinking their water use. Here’s how they make it workWed, 02 Oct 2024
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953 - What's behind Colorado’s surge in college enrollment? The pandemic, some strategic programs and Deion SandersTue, 01 Oct 2024
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952 - Looking to shrink your carbon footprint? A Fort Collins scientist says start with your grocery listFri, 27 Sep 2024
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951 - A powerful Fort Collins art show highlights the words and portraits of immigrants in Northern ColoradoThu, 26 Sep 2024
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950 - Is it ‘ballot box biology’ – or do Colorado’s mountain lions really need protection from hunting?Wed, 25 Sep 2024
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949 - After guilty verdicts – and 10 life sentences – in Boulder’s mass shooting trial, a victim’s daughter looks backTue, 24 Sep 2024
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948 - Aspen trees could be a colorful addition to your yard – but experts say you’ll probably regret itFri, 20 Sep 2024
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947 - Nearly 1 in 4 college students have limited access to nutritious food. Colorado schools have ideas to fix thatThu, 19 Sep 2024
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946 - Many kids born during the pandemic behave differently in the classroom. Here’s how Colorado educators are respondingWed, 18 Sep 2024
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945 - Stress can be quietly devastating for farmers and ranchers. The new documentary ‘Legacy’ looks at how to fix thatTue, 17 Sep 2024
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944 - Armando Silva’s vibrant murals adorn walls across Colorado. He hopes a new festival will inspire more outdoor artFri, 13 Sep 2024
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943 - Aurora, gangs and immigration: The facts are more nuanced than you may have heardThu, 12 Sep 2024
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942 - Think wildfires and hailstorms are raising the cost of home insurance? Technology may be the bigger culpritWed, 11 Sep 2024
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941 - Cities like Boulder may have too many parking spaces. Here’s why that's a problemTue, 10 Sep 2024
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940 - A forgotten hero of Colorado barbecue history is about to get some overdue recognitionFri, 06 Sep 2024
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939 - How a 100-mile run became a ‘lifeline’ for a Colorado athlete who struggles with depressionThu, 05 Sep 2024
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938 - Colorado’s GOP leadership is divided, and the timing couldn’t be worse. How did this happen?Wed, 04 Sep 2024
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937 - Four-day school weeks are the norm in many parts of Colorado. But do they set up students for failure?Tue, 03 Sep 2024
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936 - Love Palisade Peaches? Here's what makes them delicious, according to scienceFri, 30 Aug 2024
