In the days surrounding Qingming Festival, a time of the year when Chinese people pay tribute to the dead, Zhang Ming (pseudonym) found himself able to speak again with his late grandfather -- through an AI-generated digital avatar.

"How are you doing over there, Grandpa?" Zhang asks. The response comes in a familiar voice: "I'm doing well, playing chess and chatting with old friends. Make sure you take care of yourself."

Zhang, a resident of north China's Tianjin Municipality, uses an app called Lingyu ("Spiritual Encounter") to create a digital clone of his grandfather by uploading photos, voice recordings, and some background information. The AI processes the data to generate a lifelike avatar capable of voice, and even video conversations in a regional dialect.

"It feels like talking to him again," Zhang says. "My family finds comfort in it."

Recent advances in AI allow users to recreate deceased loved ones with startling realism. Some platforms generate short memorial videos, while others offer interactive avatars capable of mimicking speech patterns and persona of the departed.

The trend gained public attention after a Chinese variety show featured a celebrity using AI to simulate a conversation with his late in-laws, moving his wife to tears.

The show vividly presented the once fictional "digital resurrection" to audiences, bringing the topic into the public domain. The topic gains greater relevance this year against the backdrop of AI's turbocharged development.

For many, these digital recreations offer a new form of emotional solace. E-commerce platforms in China now host a growing market for such services, ranging from basic voice replication to real-time "video calls" with AI versions of the departed.

Gao Wei, founder of Lingyu, says the app uses cutting-edge AI to simulate human-like conversations and emotional recognition. Though only launched two months ago, it has already attracted nearly 10,000 users, with hundreds signed up with the paid service "Digital Life" featured by the app.

"As AI evolves, emotional interactions with multimodal generative AI will become even more immersive," Gao predicts.

But this AI application is not without controversy. While some see the technology as a healing tool, others warn of potential risks.

"If people become trapped in digital grief, it may distort their perception of real-world relationships and emotional health," says Gui Mumei, a sociologist at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences.

Legal experts also caution about privacy risks. Wang Bin, a law professor at Nankai University, notes that "AI resurrection" involves sensitive personal data -- biometric details like voice and image, as well as personal biography. If misused, surviving relatives could face privacy violations or defamation.

China's law regarding protection of personal data stipulates that citizens could access, copy, correct and delete personal data of their deceased close relatives, provided such actions serve their lawful and legitimate interests.

There were instances where business or individuals "digitally revived" deceased celebrities for commercial interests, which is not only off-putting but also likely illegal, said Wang.

To govern AI-generated content, China has introduced regulations like the provisions on the administration of deep synthesis of internet-based information services and the interim regulation on the management of generative AI services.

As the "AI resurrection" related industry remains in its infancy, the supervision over the industry needs to constantly reform to fend off technical and ethical risks.

"The challenge is to ensure that this technology serves the emotional needs of people without crossing ethical boundaries," says Lin Xiao, an AI researcher at Shanghai Normal University.