AI brings deceased Arizona man 'back to life' in court to deliver victim impact statement
ARIZONA: In a first-of-its-kind courtroom moment, artificial intelligence was used to recreate a deceased man's voice and likeness so he could address his killer at sentencing, three years after his death in a road rage shooting.
Chris Pelkey, who was 37 when he was fatally shot at a red light in Arizona, was brought "back" using AI technology developed by his family. They used voice recordings, videos, and photos to construct a digital version of Pelkey that read a statement written by his sister, Stacey Wales, during the sentencing hearing of Gabriel Horcasitas, who had already been found guilty by a jury.
The AI-generated video, showing Pelkey in a grey baseball cap, delivered a message of forgiveness: “To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances. In another life, we probably could have been friends.”
Judge Todd Lang, who presided over the case, responded emotionally to the use of the technology, stating: “I loved that AI, thank you for that. As angry as you are, as justifiably angry as the family is, I heard the forgiveness.” He sentenced Horcasitas to 10 and a half years in prison on manslaughter charges.
While some legal experts, like retired federal judge and Duke Law professor Paul Grimm, acknowledged that AI’s presence in courts is growing, particularly in non-jury phases such as sentencing, others expressed caution. Derek Leben, a business ethics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, raised concerns about fidelity to a victim's true intentions when AI is used to reconstruct posthumous speech.
Stacey Wales defended the family’s use of the technology as a respectful and ethical way to give her brother the “final word.” She further added, “We approached this with ethics and morals because this is a powerful tool. Just like a hammer can be used to break a window or build a house, that’s how we used this technology.”
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Food delivery agent intervenes to stop street fight in Delhi's Dwarka, stabbed to death
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old food delivery executive was stabbed to death when he allegedly intervened in a violent altercation between two groups in southwest Delhi's Dwarka, police said on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Govind Jha, a resident of Mohan Garden.
Three others sustained stab injuries in the incident and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, they said.
Authorities also cautioned against attempts to give the incident a communal colour.
According to the police, Jha was on his way to work on Sunday night when he noticed a street fight taking place at Rajapuri in Madhu Vihar area of Dwarka. The altercation involved two men pitted against three others, who were later identified as Parvesh, Anish and Rohit.
"Jha stopped at the spot and attempted to intervene. During the scuffle, the two men allegedly pulled out knives and began stabbing Parvesh, Anish and Rohit. When Jha tried to intervene, he was also attacked," a police officer said.
All four injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Jha succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The other three men are under medical observation.
Police said the accused fled the spot after the incident, and multiple teams have been formed to identify and apprehend them.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh, in a statement, said that some messages circulating on social media are attempting to give a communal angle to the incident.
"In the incident, four people suffered stab injuries and were admitted to the hospital. One person died at the hospital, and the remaining three are undergoing treatment. The victims belong to two different communities. The accused stabbed all four victims. Dwarka Police is conducting a search for the accused," the DCP said.
"There is no communal angle to the incident. Strict action will be taken against those spreading false information," he said.
