'Eternal You' Screening

The University of Dubuque's Department of Philosophy, Politics, and History will present a screening of the documentary Eternal You at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Room 100, Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Technology Center.

The event is free and open to the public. It will include a panel presentation and open conversation.

Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, Eternal You explores the world of startup companies using AI to connect people with virtual reality avatars of their deceased loved ones and, in essence, bring the dead to digital life. Through interviews with end-users, tech experts, journalists, programmers, and psychologists, the far-reaching implications of this new technology are revealed. Eternal You premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

"Technology is advancing rapidly and opening up possibilities that humans have never had before," said Christine Darr, PhD, associate professor of philosophy. "We think it is important to pause and ask each other, 'Do those possibilities actually contribute to our well-being?' We hope that this event can provide a space to consider tough questions about human dignity, the role of AI in mourning, and what we want for our future."

Following the film, an interdisciplinary panel of scholars will discuss the documentary and the issues it raises. The panel will include Daniel Fleming, PhD, bible and theology faculty at Emmaus University, Rev. Susan Forshey, PhD, associate professor of Christian discipleship and director of the master of arts in ministry program at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and Nathan Hough, MS, associate professor of psychology at UD.

The screening is sponsored by the Wendt Center for Character and Leadership.