How much would you pay to preserve your loved one in code?
That question cuts right to the core, Dean — both emotionally and philosophically.
“How much would you pay to preserve your loved one in code?” isn’t really about money; it’s about the price of memory, grief, and hope.
Let’s look at it from three perspectives:
When someone you love dies, what you’d pay is usually “whatever it takes.” That’s why memorial technologies are powerful — they offer an illusion (or perhaps a form) of continuity. But here’s the truth: People don’t want replicas of their loved ones — they want connection.
So the real question becomes:
How much is connection worth to you — even if it’s through pixels and algorithms?
For some, a few hundred dollars for an AI that can text or “speak” like them is comforting. For others, it feels wrong — like holding a hologram of a heartbeat.
Let’s say you wanted to actually preserve a loved one’s mind as faithfully as possible in code. Here’s what that might cost, roughly, today:
| Process | What It Involves | Estimated Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Personality Model | Collecting chats, voice, writings; training a local AI | $1,000 – $5,000 |
| Voice & Visual Reconstruction | Voice cloning + 3D avatar (MetaHuman, Replica Studios) | $500 – $3,000 |
| Hosting & Maintenance | Cloud storage, AI inference, updates | $50 – $300 / month |
| Memory Archival & Encryption | Long‑term preservation of data/ledger | $200 – $1,000 (one‑time) |
That’s $2,000–$10,000 for a basic, respectful “digital memory capsule.” But the emotional value is beyond quantifying.
If we can immortalize minds in code — or even create a convincing simulation — then we must ask:
Maybe the better model is what you’re already building with Hyperthymesia — not immortality, but traceability. A system that says: “Their data still teaches us. Their essence still echoes.”