Brandon Blankenship
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
She told me that while she was at a loss for words, it was clear what her brother would say. So she asked her husband and their business partner, both of whom have experience using AI, to help. Her plea was this.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
They only had a few days and had to source a bunch of different AI tools. But in the end, they actually pulled it off. And the message that Stacey really wanted the judge and her brother's killer to hear, it was all about forgiveness.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
Neither the defense nor the judge pushed back, surprisingly. And later in the hearing, Judge Todd Lang said he actually loved the use of AI. He said he usually sticks to last names in court, but after hearing from the family and seeing the video, he felt compelled to call Chris by his first name.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
And what really stood out to the judge was that, you know, the family themselves were asking for the maximum sentence, but the AI rendering of Chris didn't talk about punishment. And in the end, the judge actually gave the maximum sentence...
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
The story makes me reflect a lot on mortality and AI's role in possibly changing kind of what it means to grieve and remember.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
It was clear from talking to Stacey that she was really close to her brother. You know, he lived with her at one point and even walked her down the aisle at her wedding. One of the reasons Stacey felt so strongly about humanizing Chris was because she said the main images of her brother shown during the trial was of him getting shot on the road and his autopsy photo.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
Yeah, she was keenly aware of the great power and responsibility that comes with AI. You know, while working on the script, she kept checking in with herself, making sure that what she wrote reflected him, his Facebook posts, his go-to phrases, and not just what she wanted him to say.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
Yeah, I mean, talking to other legal experts, it sounds like this is the first case, at least in the U.S., of using AI to create a victim impact statement. A lot of times when it's used in the courtroom, it's kind of in this concealed manner and then they get caught.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
But in this case with Stacey, right, the video opens up with an avatar essentially saying this is not the real Chris and this was made using AI.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
Yeah, I think just kind of to Brandon's point, right? In Stacey's case, the point that she wanted to make using AI was about forgiveness. But people down the line who might be using AI in a similar way might have a more malicious intent.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
Even just stepping out of the courtroom, right? The story makes me reflect a lot on mortality and AI's role in possibly changing kind of what it means to grieve and remember. One tidbit that stuck with me from talking to Stacey was how badly she wanted to include her brother's chuckle in the video. Apparently, it was a big hallmark of who he was.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
But all the clips of Chris laughing were too noisy to work with. And the whole ordeal made her actually go into a closet and record a nine-minute video of herself talking, laughing, enunciating certain words so that her family wouldn't have the same struggle she did if it ever came down to it.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
So back in 2021, a man named Christopher Pelkey was shot and killed in a road rage incident. His case initially went to court in 2023, but it had to be retried because of some procedural issues. And it's why it took until this month for the man who shot him to face sentencing.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
I think in that way, this story kind of isn't all that different from another movement that we're seeing with the rise of AI, which is to use this technology to find closure with a dead loved one or even to prepare for our own demise.
It's Been a Minute
A tale of murder, artificial intelligence, & forgiveness
And during this whole time, Christopher's sister, Stacey Wales, had been mulling over what she would say in her victim impact statement, which is a chance for loved ones to talk about their grief before the judge hands down a sentence.