i learned my sister had found old recordings of our grandmother and used them to make a synthetic voice for a birthday video. she intended it as a loving surprise, but nobody in the family had agreed to the recreation
when the video played, my aunt started crying. my mother immediately asked how the voice had been made and why she hadn't been told. the room went quiet
my sister explained that she wanted to hear grandma's warmth one more time. mom said she understood, but hearing a loved one's recreated voice without warning could be overwhelming
we put the video away and talked about the memories behind it. later we made a family slideshow using the original recordings instead. the old voice was enough