Exploring Generative AI in Bereavement Intervention: A Scoping Review Protocol of Bereaved Users’ Experiences and Perspectives

With the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) technologies, novel practices surrounding grief and bereavement have emerged. These practices, including gen AI chatbots, Interactive online memorials, video or audio generation, and other content generated from the training data of the deceased person, are fundamentally reshaping how bereaved individuals mourn, commemorate, and interact with the deceased. Increasing scholarly attention has been directed toward understanding the bereaved users' experiences and perceptions of these grief technologies and the broader social and ethical implications they entail. This scoping review aims to systematically map the existing literature on generative AI technologies in the context of grief and bereavement, with particular emphasis on users' experiences and perceptions across diverse populations and technology settings. It examines how the bereaved individuals experience interactions with AI-generated avatars of the deceased, how they interpret the presence of the avatars, and the psychosocial impacts such practices may produce. By establishing a comprehensive understanding of the pragmatic and ethical intricacies surrounding the emerging practices, this review seeks to inform the responsible design and application of these technologies and provide guidance for policy and regulatory frameworks on the oversight of gen AI grief technologies.