Ethical and psychological implications of generative AI in digital afterlife technologies: A systematic literature review on responsible inclusive innovation

• Cultural schemas critically mediate acceptance of AI-mediated afterlife technologies, with ritual adaptation serving as a key factor. • Design failures in DeathTech exacerbate exclusion for marginalized communities, highlighting the urgency of participatory and inclusive approaches. • Current governance models lack cultural-religious pluralism, necessitating transnational ethics councils and sacred-data protocols. • A triadic framework (cultural mediation, inclusive design, pluralistic governance) is proposed to guide ethical and equitable DeathTech development. • The study advances digital thanatology by introducing concepts like "ritual friction" and "theological AI alignment." Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) have given birth to digital afterlife technologies (DeathTech), which enable the preservation of the voices, memories, and personalities of deceased individuals. This study is a systematic review of 45 scientific articles (2020–2025) using a thematic-SWOT analysis approach and the Responsible Inclusive Innovation (RII) framework, to explore how cultural schemas, inclusive design, and governance models influence the acceptance of DeathTech across cultures. Key findings suggest that ritual adaptation and spiritual meanings are critical to the acceptance of this technology. Jewish and Japanese communities show high acceptance through cultural integration, while Hindu and Luhya communities experience ontological dissonance. Design failures such as linguistic exclusion and ritual incongruence impact marginalized groups. In addition, regulatory gaps exist, especially in post-death privacy protection and algorithmic bias. This study proposes a triadic framework for the development of ethical and equitable DeathTech: cultural mediation, inclusive design, and pluralistic governance. This contribution enriches the study of digital thanatology and provides recommendations for culturally and socially sustainable innovation.