AI-generated video gave victim a voice at his killer’s sentencing in Arizona

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — There were dozens of statements submitted to the court by family and friends of Christopher Pelkey when it came time to sentence the man convicted of fatally shooting him during a road rage incident. They provided glimpses of Pelkey’s humor, his character and his military service.

But there was nothing quite like hearing from the victim himself — even if it was an AI-generated version.

In what’s believed to be a first in U.S. courts, Pelkey’s family used artificial intelligence to create a video using his likeness to give him a voice. The AI rendering of Pelkey told the shooter during the sentencing hearing last week that it was a shame they had to meet that day in 2021 under those circumstances — and that the two of them probably could have been friends in another life…

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