Name: Washington man builds bot to help kids connect with late grandfather
Uploaded: 2025-11-24T04:01:02.089Z
Duration: 1 min 58 s
Description: Dr. Muhammad Ahmad created “Grandpa Bot,” an A.I. simulation that uses his late father’s recordings, letters, and stories to preserve his memory for future generations.

Dr. Muhammad Ahmad created “Grandpa Bot,” an A.I. simulation that uses his late father’s recordings, letters, and stories to preserve his memory for future generations.

Seattle

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Dr. Mohammed Ahmed from Seattle has developed an artificial intelligence program called 'grandpa bot' that simulates conversations with his late father, who passed away in 2013. By using audio recordings, videos, and letters, Ahmed built a machine learning model that mimics his father's speech, humor, and storytelling style, allowing his children to interact with their grandfather despite never having met him.

The system is primarily text-based, as Ahmed faced challenges replicating his father's voice due to language differences. Ahmed describes the project as a modern way to preserve family memories, likening it to a digital photo album, while acknowledging that such technology cannot replace the presence of a loved one.

Washington man builds bot to help kids connect with late grandfather

Sitting at his dining table. Typing away at the keyboard. You would have never known Doctor Mohammed Ahmed was having a conversation with his dad who passed away more than a decade ago. It's a simulation of my father. He died 12 years ago in 2013. Alright, so not his actual dad. Mohammed calls it the grandpa bot. He created it so his children could interact with their grandpa who died before they were born. I realized that I did have a lot of sound recordings of my father using audio recordings, videos, and letters from his dad. Mohammed transcribed it all and built a machine learning model. What we call a conversational agent imitates the way that he talked. The kind of humor that he had. For example, it relates many of the stories that he would relate. So it's copying his style right now. It's a mostly text based system. Mohammed says he's tried to add his dad's voice over the years, but one of the challenges he's faced is that English was not his dad's first language. Today, Mohammed's children are able to form their own memories of their grandpa through grandpa bot. I wanted them to have some sort of relationship with their grandfather. Beyond me, just telling them stories, they interact with grandpa bot and then it leads to questions. He equates it to a modern day photo album. In my mind, this is just a continuation of how we remember our loved ones. The model is not a living breathing person, but given the limitations of technology, maybe it can be the next best thing, and it keeps his dad's memory alive. Projects like these, so they do answer some of the questions. But they are not a replacement for the person who is not here. Shira Matsuzawa Fox 13 news. Shira Matsuzawa Fox 13 news.

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Washington man builds bot to help kids connect with late grandfather

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