An Army veteran who was fatally shot in a road rage incident delivered a message to his killer through an AI-generated video shown in court.
Christopher Pelkey, a veteran from Arizona, was shot and killed in 2021 during a road rage altercation that turned fatal. But during the sentencing of the man convicted of his death, Pelkey made a surprise appearance, through artificial intelligence.
Using AI technology, Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, and her husband recreated Chris’s image and voice to deliver a posthumous victim statement. They even applied a filter to make him appear slightly older.
“It is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances, in another life we probably could have been friends,” the AI-generated Chris said, per BBC. “I believe in forgiveness and God who forgives, I always have and still do.”
The video included real footage taken while the victim was alive, along with some of his personality and humor, while showing a real picture he once took with an "old age" filter.
"This is the best I can ever give you of what I would have looked like if I got the chance to grow old," AI Pelkey said, per Denver7. "Remember, getting old is a gift that not everybody has, so embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles."
The powerful message was scripted by Stacey, who said she kept asking herself one question: “What would Chris say?”
Holding up a photo of her younger brother, she explained: “Trying to make this come to life and to lift him off the page in the best way that we could, that is available to us now.”
Gabriel Paul Horcasitas, the man convicted of killing Pelkey, was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for manslaughter.
Pelkey’s family believes the heartfelt AI video moved everyone in the courtroom, including Judge Lang, who directly referenced it in his closing remarks: "I loved that AI, thank you for that. As angry as you are, as justifiably angry as the family is, I heard the forgiveness...I feel that that was genuine."
The message also struck a deep chord with younger members of the victim's family. ”'Mom and Dad, thank you so much for making that. I needed to hear from Uncle Chris one last time. And that meant so much, thank you.' That is not what this is intended to do. The result of it having it be a healing piece for anybody who saw it was just a beneficial result," Stacey recalled.
While the video was deeply personal for the Pelkey family, it has also sparked a broader conversation about the use of AI in courtrooms.
Chief Justice Timmer weighed in on the technology’s potential: “AI has the potential to create great efficiencies in the justice system and may assist those unschooled in the law to better present their positions."
"For that reason, we are excited about AI’s potential. But AI can also hinder or even upend justice if inappropriately used. A measured approach is best," Timmer added.