Grief AI Safe-Use Table
Use with Writing Through Grief Without Simulating the Person You Lost.
If grief has brought on thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or you are worried about your immediate safety, contact your local emergency services now, or use IASP’s crisis resources. This worksheet is not a substitute for that step.
The no-simulation boundary below is AI Expert OÜ’s precautionary editorial policy, not a clinical consensus or a claim that every exposure causes harm. Outcome research is limited; this table does not diagnose grief, prescribe a timetable, or replace cultural, legal, clinical, or pastoral guidance.
The core rule
AI can help you produce something that is yours — your memories, your words, your logistics. It must never be asked to produce something that claims to be theirs.
Tasks inside and outside this article’s precautionary boundary
| Task | Within this policy? | Why / remaining check |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing your own eulogy notes into a structure | Yes, subject to privacy and verification | The words and memories are yours; AI only organizes |
| Drafting an obituary from facts you supply | Yes, subject to verification and publication rules | Factual and administrative, but still check every claim |
| Transcribing a voicemail or letter for an archive | Yes, with consent and provenance discipline | Use accuracy, permission, and archive norms |
| Reflection journaling about your own grief | Yes, as writing support | This is not therapy or a clinical recommendation |
| Requesting a message “as if from” the person who died | No | Impersonation with no consent structure |
| Building an interactive chatbot from their messages or voice | No | No accountable consent from the deceased; unclear whether simulated contact helps or delays adjustment |
| Using AI to decide what to feel or how long grief “should” take | No | Not a clinical function AI can perform |
Your task log
| What I need to write or organize | My own source material (memories, facts, notes) | What I will ask AI to do (organize / draft / phrase only) | Checked: does this ask AI to speak as them? |
|---|---|---|---|
Before you send any prompt
- I supplied the facts, memories, or notes myself — I did not ask AI to invent sentiment or detail.
- I am not asking for a reply, message, or conversation “as if from” the person who died.
- I am not feeding their messages, voice, or likeness into a tool built to simulate them.
- If I feel drawn toward simulating them, I will bring that specific instinct to a person — a grief counselor, chaplain, or someone who knew them — instead of a chatbot.
Retention and deletion
- I know where grief notes, transcripts, and drafts are stored (chat history, downloads, cloud drive).
- I have decided what to keep as an archive and what to delete when the immediate writing is done.
- I will not leave a grief-related chat thread open indefinitely as a substitute for talking to a person.
What this cannot do
AI can organize administrative and writing tasks during grief. It cannot continue a relationship, speak with their authority or consent, or process grief for you. If grief feels stuck, overwhelming, or unsafe, bring it to a grief counselor or your own support network, not a chat window.