William Shatner has immortalized himself as an artificial intelligence

The Star Trek actor has partnered with tech company StoryFile to preserve his memory and legacy for generations to come

William Shatner has immortalized himself as an artificial intelligence 1

William Shatner is celebrating his 90th birthday today, and to celebrate the new decade, the Star Trek: The Original Series actor is immortalizing himself as an artificial intelligence (AI).

Shatner announced today that he has joined Los Angeles-based tech company StoryFile as brand ambassador for its conversational video platform StoryFile Life. The sci-fi icon, best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the first-ever Star Trek series, is the first person to use StoryFile Life to create an AI-powered interactive conversational video so family and friends can interact with him for years to come.

“This is for all my children and all my children’s children and all my children’s loved ones and all the loved ones of the loved ones,” said Shatner of exploring the new frontier of AI. “That’s my gift to you down through time.”

Featuring a patented “Artificially Intelligent Interactive Memories System” on Conversa, which uses natural language processing and other innovative technologies, StoryFile Life offers a new type of interactive storytelling that will change how people remember, interact, teach, learn, and share stories.

Though StoryFile Life won’t officially launch until June, Shatner’s complete StoryFile conversation will be available to interact with the public on all connected devices as early as May. And to give fans a little preview of what they can expect from Shatner’s StoryFile conversation, the company released a behind-the-scenes video of the actor in the firm’s L.A. studio.

“I have a story to tell. Imagine if you could record yourself in a way that future generations hundreds of years from now could talk to you and you could talk back. That’s possible with StoryFile,” Shatner says in the video, which you can watch below. “You can now be present in the future – your authentic self for all time. The future is now.”

StoryFile co-founder and CEO Heather Maio-Smith confirmed in a statement that Shatner’s StoryFile conversation will allow future generations to have a conversation with the actor: “not an avatar, not a deep fake, but with the real William Shatner answering their questions about his life and work.”

As to why StoryFile chose Shatner to be its ambassador, co-founder Stephen Smith said: “At StoryFile, we believe every person’s story matters. Who better to show the world how StoryFile Life works than a man the world knows for stretching our imaginations about the future and life in this universe and beyond. A man who has always generously shared the highs and lows with us, and who has mastered the art of storytelling.”

StoryFile Life Premium will be available by subscription and one-time payment plans, with free limited scope trial versions available. Fans can sign up online by March 31st for early adopter rates at StoryFile.com.