Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are an increasingly popular tool to automate the obituary-writing process. They’re used by family members themselves, as well as funeral directors contracted to write obituaries. Although this technology can be useful and time-saving, it, like any tool, should be used with care.

“The risk with using a standalone generative AI tool to write an obituary is that, very likely, some of the details included will turn out to be made up,” said Wes Johnson, president and CEO of Continental Computers. “AI can be a useful tool for writing obituaries, but it works best if it’s incorporated natively into your funeral home software and fits seamlessly into your existing process.”

The Director’s Assistant Web (TDAW) has built-in obituary-writing features that bridge the gap between automation and personalization. Here are the steps when crafting an obituary:

1. Create a funeral case with all relevant details about the deceased and their family.

2. Build an obituary using a native template and data from the funeral case.

3. Edit the generated obituary. Add other text and links, and adjust the formatting.

4. Invite the family to preview the obituary via the Family Link portal.

5. Email the obituary to anyone involved with the case, such as the funeral officiator.

6. Add the obituary to Memorial Designer Library products, such as memorial folders, prayer cards and funeral records.

7. Use the obituary in a Fund-a-Family campaign.

8. Export the obituary for publishing online, in print and on memorial items.

“An obituary is meant for human consumption,” stated Johnson. “The tools built into TDAW make it fast and easy to write an accurate obituary that serves as a meaningful, lasting memorial to the deceased.” ContinentalComputers.com