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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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
