Using AI for obituaries respectfully
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What AI obituary writers do
Several funeral software products now include a tool that drafts an obituary from details you enter. Among those we list, 1Director and Halcyon include AI obituary writers, and Halcyon can send the draft to the family for review.
A draft, never the final word
An obituary is the family's words about someone they loved. Use the AI draft only as a starting point. Read it closely, correct anything invented or wrong, and give the family the final say before anything is published.
Check every fact
AI writing tools can produce details that sound right but are not. Confirm names, dates, places and survivors against what the family gave you. A wrong name in an obituary causes real hurt.
Be open with families
If you use AI to help draft, it is respectful to say so and to offer to write it with them instead. Some families will welcome the help; others will not.
Ask about privacy
Before entering family details into any tool, ask the vendor how the information is stored and whether it is used to train AI models. FuneralBot, for example, states that family conversations are not used for AI training; ask every vendor the same question in writing.
Common questions
Should families approve an AI-drafted obituary?
Yes. We recommend that the family reviews and approves every obituary, however it was drafted, before it is published.