How to use AI to write obituaries in minutes

Are you tired of hearing about AI yet? No? Great!

Whether it’s live streaming funerals or creating an image of a cat riding a motorcycle on the moon, technology has permeated virtually every part of our lives.

Writing obituaries is a task that requires a lot of care, empathy, and precision. With all of the responsibilities funeral directors have today, we know it can also be difficult to find the time.

Enter artificial intelligence or AI.

Funeral homes can leverage free AI tools like ChatGPT to make the process of writing obituaries far more efficient.

Artificial intelligence is what it sounds like – programs that simulate human intelligence. It allows computers to learn, reason, and even understand human emotions to some extent.

Today, AI can be used to help create complex images, write social media posts, and even write human-like text based on minimal input from the user. This makes it an excellent tool to assist in writing obituaries.

Using AI to write obituaries is actually pretty simple. You will need to gather some basic details about the deceased and then ask the AI tool to use those details to write an obituary.

We will use ChatGPT to do this.

We will use what are called “prompts” to give ChatGPT all the information it needs to write the obituary.

Here’s the prompt:

Please use the following details to write an obituary:

Name of the deceased: Include full name and maiden name if applicable. Also include any nicknames or titles they were known by.
Date and place of birth: Include birthdate and hometown or birthplace.
Date and place of death: Mention the date and location of passing.
Key life details:

• Career/Occupation: Their profession or primary occupation, along with any notable achievements or contributions.
• Education: List schools, colleges, or universities they attended, along with degrees or honors earned.
• Military Service: Include branch, rank, and any notable honors or locations of service, if applicable.
• Marriages/Partnerships: Mention significant relationships or marriages, including spouse or partner names.
• Community Involvement: Highlight any volunteer work, leadership roles, or community contributions.
• Personal Traits/Accomplishments: Describe their character, personality, or unique achievements.
• Retirement/Legacy: How they spent their retirement and any lasting legacies they leave behind.

Family members: List surviving family members (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.) and predeceased loved ones if relevant.
Hobbies, interests, and passions: Mention activities or causes they were passionate about.
Memorial or service details: Provide information about the funeral, memorial service, or celebrations of life. Mention funeral provider and times of services.
Charitable donations: Suggest any charities or organizations where people can donate in their memory.
Any special quotes or sayings: Optional, include a favorite quote or saying that was meaningful to them or their family.

No, you don’t need to say please when sending a prompt but, when AI takes over the world, we do feel it will look kindly on those that were respectful 😉

Copy and paste this prompt into word processing software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs and enter in all of the information.

Go to chatgpt.com and register for an account.

Paste your prompt into ChatGPT.

You can always ask ChatGPT to change its tone, alter details, or move sections.

Make sure you check the details of what ChatGPT provides as it can make mistakes. You can always ask it to correct the mistake or just correct it yourself the old fashioned way by copying and pasting it into a Word document.

Here’s an obituary we asked ChatGPT to write for a very real person named Paddy O’Furniture:

“Paddy O’Furniture, affectionately known as “Pats,” passed away peacefully on October 2, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 68. He was born on September 8, 1956, in Akron, Ohio, and spent his life deeply rooted in the community he loved.

Paddy was a talented custom furniture maker, renowned for his craftsmanship and heart. He owned his own shop, where he was honored with the title of “Kindest Shopkeeper” by Akron Now! Magazine. His kindness extended beyond his shop as he frequently donated furniture to public housing projects, always seeking ways to help those in need. Paddy attended Akron Community College in 1975, where he honed his skills in furniture design and construction.

In 1977, Paddy married the love of his life, Reclina, whom he met at a baseball game in Akron. Together, they built a beautiful life, filled with love and laughter. Paddy is survived by his devoted wife, Reclina, their children Matt, Chester, and Felix, and his beloved grandchildren Enrique, Ricky, Darrell, and John.

Paddy’s generosity knew no bounds. Whether it was offering a helping hand to the homeless or crafting wooden golf balls during his retirement, he was always giving. His sense of humor was as memorable as his kindness, often leaving friends and family chuckling with his signature line, “Well, that was awkward.”

A chapel service will be held in his honor at Beacon Funeral Home on October 12 at 5 PM, followed by a graveside service at Beacon Cemetery at 7 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Akron Medical Society, an organization dear to Paddy’s heart.

Paddy’s legacy of kindness, craftsmanship, and humor will live on in the hearts of all who knew him.”

Not bad. The second line in the fourth paragraph doesn’t really make sense though – what does making wooden golf balls have to do with being a giving person? We were purposely vague about him making golf balls in retirement to see what ChatGPT would do.

If you see mistakes or weird results like that, just ask ChatGPT to change the text or ask how that makes sense. It will usually recognize the mistake and correct itself.

We did just that and ChatGPT rewrote the paragraph:

“Paddy’s generosity knew no bounds. Whether it was offering a helping hand to the homeless or donating furniture to those in need, he was always willing to give. In his retirement, Paddy found joy in crafting wooden golf balls—a project that showcased his creativity and humor, much like his well-loved saying, “Well, that was awkward.”

Interestingly, it knew that “Well, that was awkward” was meant to be funny.

For fun, here’s what ChatGPT thinks Paddy would look like:

Although AI may not be perfect at writing obituaries, it gets you 95% of the way there. With our obituary prompt template, you can create a thoughtful, personalized obituary in under five minutes—giving you more time to focus on supporting families during their most difficult moments.

Here’s something else you can do in less than five minutes: schedule a live stream on the Forget Me Not Ceremonies platform. We’ve made it quick and easy, so you can spend even more time where it matters—caring for your families.