2Wai faces criticism wave for exploiting mourners with AI avatar app

Artificial intelligence application 2Wai has faced criticisms from the wider online public over claims that it is exploiting mourners. The application is a product of an artificial intelligence startup founded by a former Disney Channel actor, and allows users to create interactive replicas of deceased loved ones.

The application was created by founder and creator Calum Worthy, who is popular for playing the role of Dez on the Disney series “Austin & Ally” from 2011 to 2016, and producer Russell Geyser. The duo recently announced the release of the 2Wai iOS beta on November 11.

The application’s HoloAvatar feature generates conversational video avatars from uploaded videos, audio, and text inputs, enabling real-time chats in over 40 languages.

2Wai application faces public scrutiny

The application was created as a tool for legacy preservation, but has seen its ability to recreate deceased people dominate headlines. The development has seen people compare it to the 2013 Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back,” where a widow animates her late husband’s ghost. The promotional video for 2Wai was posted on Worthy’s official X account, where it has seen more than 22 million views and about 58,000 comments.

The video depicts a pregnant woman video-calling an AI recreation of her late mother for advice. The video cuts to a scene where the avatar is reading bedtime stories to her newborn. The last scene shows Worthy, as the grown-up son, being counseled by the avatar.

“What if the loved ones we’ve lost could be part of our future?” the clip asks. “With 2Wai, three minutes can last forever.” Worthy followed up: “At 2wai, we’re building a living archive of humanity, one story at a time.”

HoloAvatars run on 2Wai’s Fed rain technology, which it claims processes interactions on-device, ensuring privacy while limiting responses to user-approved data and reducing AI hallucinations. It also claims that the app provides support to loving users creating avatars for fan engagements or coaching, a development that was shared by Worthy’s digital twin. While it is currently in free beta mode, it is expected to move to a tiered subscription model, with prices still undisclosed.

Experts discuss legal gray zone

The development of 2Wai dates back to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, where performers protested unauthorized AI likenesses. “Having worked as an actor, writer, and producer for the last 20 years, I experienced firsthand how challenging it is to create a meaningful relationship with fans around the world,” Worthy said at the June launch. “Language barriers, time zones, and budgets limit the ability to truly connect.”

2Wai raised $5 million in pre–seed funding in June from undisclosed investors, with the firm noting that it is working with British Telecom and IBM. However, public perception has been one of the biggest challenges of 2Wai and its HoloAvatars. Users on X have branded the application as “nightmare fuel,” “demonic,” “dystopian,” and an exploitative commercialization of grief.

According to a viral reply, the user called it “one of the most evil, psychotic things I’ve ever seen,” arguing that it “turns human beings psychotic” by simulating loss rather than processing it. Another labeled it “beyond vile,” insisting “videos do that” for archiving, not AI guesswork.

Meanwhile, legal experts have claimed that death bots sit in a legal and ethical gray zone. They claimed that it can be constructed without express permission from the deceased.

In addition, they claimed that it can expose deeply personal data of both the deceased and the grieving, and create ambiguities around the ownership of the digital avatar and accompanying data. Privacy laws protect living people but offer little or no post-mortem safeguards. The application includes opt-in requirements and family approvals for deceased avatars, but critics are still wary about the enforcement of the requirements.

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