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Deathbots, griefbots or thanabots are chatbots based on the digital footprint of the deceased that offer mourners the possibility to 'talk' to their loved ones after their death. This Artificial Intelligence–based thanatechnology raises a number of ethical and psychological questions. Drawing on the concept of mediation from cultural psychology and the notion of continuing bonds in bereavement, the article discusses some controversial questions about deathbots, such as the illusion of reality that this technology may generate, its impact on the autonomy of the bereaved, the possible individualization of bereavement, the ethical implications in relation to the deceased and the potential therapeutic uses of this digital tool. We conclude by stressing the need for a non-essentialist perspective when studying the relationship between AI and grief, addressing the mediational role of deathbots not for what they supposedly are but for what they allow us to do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the value of using photography as both a methodological and therapeutic tool for the construction – and study – of meanings after a death-related loss. A study case, consisting of narratives of mourning elicited through a personal photo diary and a follow-up interview, will be analysed in light of five key advantages of using photography to study grief experiences according to a social constructivist approach. These advantages are (1) agency in the search for meaning; (2) the role of photography as a tool for scaffolding narratives of loss; (3) the role of photography in preserving the continuing bonds with the deceased; (4) the role of photography as technology of the self for emotional self-regulation and (5) photography as a process in the reviewing of the contextualised experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]