Man shot dead in road rage incident reincarnated through AI video to deliver message to his killer in court
A man shot dead in a road rage incident nearly four years ago appeared in an Arizona courtroom Monday to forgive his killer from beyond the grave — through an eerie AI video played by his family.A lifelike simulacrum of Christopher Pelkey — who was gunned down by Gabriel Horcasitas in 2021 following a dispute in Chandler, Ariz.— spoke to a court audience in what is believed to be the first use of artificial intelligence to deliver a victim impact statement, according to local reports.
“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me: it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,” the artificial rendition of Pelkey said to a packed courtroom.“In another life, we probably could have been friends.” “I believe in forgiveness and God who forgives.
I always have, and still do,” an AI version of Pelkey said.Horcasitas, 50, was found guilty of manslaughter for shooting Pelkey, 37, to death when he approached his car during a road rage incident in 2021. Pelkey’s digital resurrection, created by his family, wore a logoless gray baseball cap, an olive green zipper hoodie and a full, ruddy beard.
The mouth of the AI victim didn’t always align with the words he was speaking in the clip, but the video still had a powerful effect.Judge Todd Lang was deeply moved by the artificial recreation. “I love that AI,” the clearly emotional Judge Lang said, and then proceeded to give the defendant 10-and-a-half years for his role in Pelkey’s death – a full year more than the prosecutors asked for. The AI video also featured a “real” photograph Pelkey took when he was still alive that was then run through 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,” the artificial version of Pelkey said.
“Remember, getting old is a gift that not everybody has, so embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles.”Pelkey’s sister wrote the script that t...