San Francisco, Calif. — The world mourned the passing of Hulk Hogan on July 24, 2025. At 71 years old, the professional wrestling icon and pop culture phenomenon died of cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. As tributes poured in from around the globe, so too did something else: digital memories, enhanced through artificial intelligence.
Fan-made videos showing a young, vibrant Hogan ripping his shirt in the 1980s, a graying version in his 50s, and even imagined footage of an older, more reflective Hogan in his later years, surfaced across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. These were not simply clips from the archive. Many were AI-generated visualizations of the wrestler through various stages of life—a technological tribute that illustrates how AI is increasingly reshaping how we remember cultural icons.
Welcome to the age of digital immortality.
I can’t help but reflect on my own experience with Hulk Hogan. Growing up in Hawaii during the 1990s, I vividly remember watching WWE on Monday nights at 10pm, cheering as Hogan entered the ring, flexed his muscles, against The Rock (an Island favorite). The next day at school, mainly the boys would be talking about the show from the night before! My younger sister was into it too. Seeing AI-generated images of him now—recreated from those formative years of my childhood—is nostalgic. It’s a surreal blend of past and present, made possible through technology. That emotional resonance is precisely what makes digital immortality so powerful and personal.
The Emergence of AI-Powered Legacy Tools
Digital immortality refers to the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and multimedia archives to create representations of individuals that persist beyond their death. These representations may come in the form of voice clones, video avatars, or even interactive chatbots that mimic the personality and speech of the deceased.
Companies like StoryFile, HereAfter AI, and Eternos have been pioneering the development of these legacy tools. By training algorithms on hours of personal videos, interviews, and other data, these firms create AI “clones” of individuals. These avatars can answer questions, share stories, and provide what some have called “interactive memoirs.”
The implications are profound: loved ones can hold conversations with digital versions of their family members long after they’re gone. Celebrities, whose public images are richly documented, are particularly well-suited for this kind of preservation.
Voluntary Immortality: When Celebrities Choose Their Digital Legacy
Not all digital legacy projects emerge in the aftermath of a celebrity’s death. Increasingly, celebrities and their families are taking proactive steps to curate and preserve their stories while they’re still alive.
Actress Marina Soros, for example, collaborated with an AI storytelling company to produce a digital avatar of herself based on her memoirs, voice recordings, and interview footage. The avatar, which now resides in a museum exhibit, interacts with visitors by answering questions about her film career and personal philosophy.
In another instance, the family of jazz legend Lionel Carver commissioned a digital recreation of the musician to narrate a retrospective documentary. The project merged archival recordings with AI-generated dialogue and narration to create a compelling, emotionally rich tribute.
These intentional efforts reflect a growing recognition that digital immortality can be a thoughtful, empowering experience when guided by consent and authenticity.
The Technology Behind the Tributes
At the heart of these digital tributes are advanced machine learning models, including generative adversarial networks (GANs) and large language models (LLMs). GANs allow for the creation of realistic images and video footage by training on massive datasets. In the case of celebrities, this might include thousands of hours of public appearances, matches, interviews, and social media content.
Voice cloning technology can mimic tone, pitch, cadence, and even emotional inflections. When combined with facial animation models, the result is startlingly lifelike.
Social media has become the primary platform for these digital tributes. Tools like Deep Nostalgia, FaceApp, and AI-powered editing apps enable even amateur creators to age or de-age celebrities, producing content that resonates emotionally and virally.
Ethical and Legal Questions
While the technology is impressive, it also raises serious ethical and legal questions. Who owns a person’s likeness after they die? Do their families have a say in how their image is used?
In the case of celebrities like Hogan, some estates may embrace the opportunity to extend a brand’s lifespan. Others may be concerned about misuse or misrepresentation. Already, misinformation has spread in the form of AI-generated clips that portray deceased individuals saying things they never said.
Legal scholars argue that intellectual property and personality rights need updating for the digital age. In the U.S., some states have enacted post-mortem publicity rights, but these vary widely and often don’t anticipate the nuances of AI-generated content.
Emotional Complexity for Audiences
For fans, digital immortality is a double-edged sword. It can offer comfort, nostalgia, and a sense of ongoing connection. But it can also complicate the grieving process.
“Seeing a video of a beloved celebrity ‘speaking’ directly to fans days after their passing felt surreal,” said Megan Thomas, a lifelong pop culture enthusiast in Los Angeles. “I wasn’t sure if I was comforted or disturbed.”
Psychologists warn that interacting with digital replicas of the deceased may blur the lines between acceptance and denial. Yet others argue these tools can be used constructively, much like viewing home videos or rereading letters.
Industry Outlook
The digital legacy industry is rapidly expanding. Analysts predict that by 2030, the market for AI-driven memorialization tools could exceed $10 billion annually. As video quality improves and AI becomes more emotionally aware, these avatars will become more interactive and lifelike.
Museums, streaming platforms, and even sports leagues are exploring AI tools to resurrect long-gone icons. There are discussions about AI-generated concerts featuring holograms of deceased musicians, or fully interactive museum exhibits guided by digital versions of historical figures.
The Responsibility of Creators
With great power comes great responsibility. As the tools for digital resurrection become more accessible, creators must navigate a complex web of ethics, legality, and emotional sensitivity.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are beginning to flag AI-generated content, but regulation remains inconsistent. Content creators are encouraged to clearly disclose when something has been digitally altered or AI-generated.
More importantly, the intent behind the content matters. Tributes created with care, consent, and respect can be meaningful. Exploitative or misleading uses can cause harm and backlash.
A New Kind of Legacy
Digital immortality is no longer science fiction. It’s here, and it’s rapidly changing how we remember those who have shaped our world.
AI offers a way for cultural figures to remain in the public consciousness in new and evolving ways. For fans, it creates opportunities to engage with memories in richer, more dynamic formats—from interactive interviews to holographic performances.
As society grapples with the implications, one thing is clear: the line between life and digital afterlife is becoming increasingly blurred. And in that liminal space, the legacies of legends continue to evolve.
Getting Started with Your Own Digital Legacy
For individuals interested in beginning their journey into digital immortality, services like MemoryVideo.com offer an accessible starting point. MemoryVideo.com allows clients to record their personal histories, reflections, and life stories on video in a comfortable interview format. These recordings preserve not only the words, but also the voice, mannerisms, and expressions of a person—serving as a powerful way to connect future generations with their past. As one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to begin participating in digital legacy, MemoryVideo.com bridges the gap between storytelling and technology.