**BREAKING: AI 'Matthew Perry' Hologram Set for 2027 Tour, Sparking Global Ethics Debate on Digital Resurrection of Addicts**
**LOS ANGELES** — In a move that has split the entertainment industry and mental health advocates alike, a tech startup today announced *“The Friends Forever Initiative,”* a fully interactive, AI-generated hologram of the late Matthew Perry. Set to launch on what would have been his 58th birthday in 2027, the digital entity is programmed to not only recreate the actor’s iconic sarcasm but to engage in real-time conversations about addiction recovery—using Perry’s own published journals and therapy transcripts.
The announcement has ignited a firestorm. Critics are calling it the “ultimate dystopian misstep,” arguing that digitizing a man who famously struggled with sobriety commodifies his trauma. Meanwhile, addiction AI ethicists predict that within 10 years, “Grief Tech” will become a $50 billion industry, with deceased celebrities acting as personalized recovery coaches.
“Imagine a teenager struggling with substance abuse, texting with a version of Matthew Perry that feels real,” said Dr. Elena Vance, a digital afterlife researcher at MIT. “By 2035, we predict digital ‘rehab selves’—AIs modeled on deceased addicts—will be prescribed alongside traditional therapy. But the question remains: Are we healing, or are we just scripted ghosts?”