A US man who was shot dead in a road rage incident nearly 4 years ago reincarnated on Monday via artificial intelligence to deliver a message to his killer in an Arizona courtroom.
In an unprecedented courtroom moment, a 2021 road rage victim “appeared” via artificial intelligence to address his killer during sentencing. Christopher Pelkey, fatally shot by Gabriel Horcasitas in Arizona, delivered a posthumous message of forgiveness through an AI-generated video that left the judge visibly moved.
Pelkey’s sister Stacey Wales created the video to give her brother “a voice,” telling media she wanted the world to remember his existence and capacity for love. The technological approach sets a potential precedent for victim impact statements in violent crime cases.