AI AND
THE HUMAN TOUCH
A TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP IN A TRADITIONAL
VOCATION
By Tomislav Princivali,
CEO Pogrebno Hrvojka and Princivali Repatriation, Croatia
In over two decades of serving families in the funeral
profession, I have witnessed many changes, but
the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) marks a
truly unique turning point. When a family suffers the
sudden, heartbreaking loss of a loved one in a foreign
country, the shock and disorientation are deeply
overwhelming. In these first, darkest moments, AI
reveals its true value. It can instantly provide grieving
families in their native language with gentle, clear
guidance on crucial first steps, emergency consular
contacts, and unfamiliar local procedures. This
comforting clarity helps calm the initial chaos until we
can step in to carry the heavy burden of international
repatriation logistics and complex documentation.
Technology also offers an invaluable gift by bridging
distances for families that are increasingly scattered
across the globe. Consider a traditional burial at sea – a
profoundly intimate and emotional ceremony deeply
tied to our Adriatic heritage. Thanks to VR farewell
spaces, holographic memories, and virtual memorials,
the healing, gentle serenity of the open sea can now
embrace mourners on any continent, allowing them
a meaningful and dignified farewell from afar.
Yet, this is where we face our greatest ethical
challenge, especially concerning Griefbots and digital
grief support. We must draw a compassionate line.
However skilled AI becomes at instantly drafting
obituaries or simulating human conversation, it
remains completely devoid of a soul. Humans, on
the other hand, are filled with genuine empathy.
The warmth of an understanding look, a reassuring
handshake, and the quiet, steadfast presence a
funeral director offers a grieving family simply cannot
be programmed. The deeply human act of caring for
the departed knows no algorithm. AI is a wonderful
assistant for navigating foreign bureaucracy and
bridging physical continents, but the very heart
of our calling – true human comfort in times of
profound sorrow – must forever remain uniquely,
beautifully human.
ARCA and Memorial Paradise:
Remembrance Without Simulation
ARCA and Memorial Paradise were created out of a
principle established prior to product design. They are
memory platforms, not conversational agents, built
around four auditable principles:
• Unidirectional Flow: The system delivers only what
the individual left behind; it never generates new
content on their behalf, no synthetic text, voice, or
faces. The living speak to remember; the archive does
not speak back.
• Living Curation: Content is curated and authorized by
the individual prior to their death. This addresses the
issue of consent at its source, rather than relying on
terms and conditions signed by third parties later on.
• Family Control and Expiration: The family
determines what is preserved, who gains access, and
when the archive is closed. Permanence is an option,
not a contractual obligation.
• Explicit Referral: The platform facilitates a transition;
it does not attempt to replace human support or
professional care.
For centuries, the death care sector has built its legitimacy
on a simple promise: to safeguard what families entrust
to it with dignity. While artificial intelligence does not alter
that promise, it subjects it to an unprecedented test.
There will inevitably be companies offering the ability
to converse with the dead, and those services will likely
sell well. The question every operator must ask is not
whether the technology exists, but what responsibility
demands in the absence of conclusive evidence.
Reino, ARCA, and Memorial Paradise choose to be the
organization that abstained.
32
No. 115 – 3/2026 | THANOS MAGAZINE
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