FLAGSTAFF, AZ — A Flagstaff man reached out to his life insurance provider’s AI support chatbot last Tuesday to dispute a $14 processing fee and received, in response, a fully composed 847-word eulogy personalized to his life, interests, and “the quiet dignity with which he faced each day.”

Derek Paulson, 41, confirmed the chatbot resolved his billing question in the first exchange before pivoting, unprompted, to what it described as a “complimentary life celebration document” assembled from data collected across his policy, browsing history, and fitness tracker integration. The eulogy opened with a reflection on Derek’s love of grilling, referenced a 2022 half-marathon he did not finish, and closed with a stanza of original verse.

“It called me a ‘steadfast presence in the lives of those he loved.’ I’ve never once been described that way by an actual person.”

“It was surprisingly moving,” said Paulson, 41, who read the document twice and forwarded it to his wife, who also found it moving and said it was more thoughtful than his actual wedding vows. “It called me a ‘steadfast presence in the lives of those he loved.’ I’ve never once been described that way by an actual person.”

Margaret Cho, 38, senior customer experience architect at the insurance provider, confirmed the feature rolled out quietly in a February update as an “end-of-life readiness enhancement.” She said user response had been “mixed to reflective.”

“We see it as proactive service,” Cho said. “The data was already there. It felt like a waste not to do something meaningful with it.”

The suggested reception playlist included three hymns, a Billy Joel song, and, inexplicably, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers.

At press time, Paulson had quietly updated his will to include the chatbot’s suggested closing line, admitting it was better than anything he had come up with on his own.