Alan Hamel to release Suzanne Somers AI twin for fans online

Alan Hamel, the widower of actress and wellness author Suzanne Somers, said he has developed an artificial intelligence replica of his late wife and plans to make it available to fans online. Hamel described the project, called the Suzanne AI Twin, in a recent interview, saying a demonstration earlier this year produced a near-identical likeness and conversational style of Somers. He plans to host the AI on SuzanneSomers.com so visitors can interact with it around the clock.

Somers, best known for her roles on Three's Company and Step by Step and for promoting home fitness products and health books, died on October 15, 2023 at 76 after a long battle with breast cancer. Hamel said the idea to create a virtual version of Somers dated back decades and was something she supported. He credited early discussions with technology pioneers about the potential of artificial intelligence and said Somers viewed a future digital presence as a way to continue serving her readers and fans.

To build the AI, Hamel said developers trained the system on Somers's published work and recorded interviews. He described feeding the model all 27 of her books and hundreds of interviews so it could reflect...