AfterLight is a reflective, memory-grounded experience by Umbrella Research. Not a simulation. Not therapy. A quiet space for what matters.
AfterLight is a research-driven project exploring how memory can be organized, reflected on, and — optionally — represented through AI. It begins with conversation, not technology.
You share memories at your own pace. Ben, an AI reflection companion, helps you describe, organize, and find meaning in what you’ve shared. Everything is grounded in what you provide. Nothing is invented.
AfterLight is built by Umbrella Research — a small team focused on ethical, human-centered approaches to memory and AI.
A brief overview of the AfterLight project — what it is, how it works, and why it exists.
From subtle photo-based animation to full 3D reconstruction, each capability is designed to handle memory with care.
Emotional Fidelity Engine
Neural micro-animation uses LivePortrait retarget MLPs to add subtle, natural movement to a still photograph. Gentle blinks, soft head motion, and lip nuance — all within ethical boundaries.
Spatial Reconstruction Layer
DECA face reconstruction with FLAME2023 topology produces a textured 3D mesh from one photograph. CodeFormer AI refinement enhances facial detail before geometry extraction.
Consent-Native Identity Layer
SMPL-X body fitting via PIXIE combined with 3D Gaussian Splatting produces anatomically accurate, high-fidelity 3D avatars from 8–20 photographs or a short rotation video.
Every component is designed for privacy, performance, and ethical compliance — from neural inference to data residency.
Every design decision is guided by six ethical principles. AfterLight is not a simulation of consciousness — it is a reflective tool, constrained by design.
No avatar is ever created without explicit, cryptographically verified consent from the subject. Consent can be modified or revoked at any time.
Our deployment guidelines are co-developed with clinical psychologists and human identity researchers to prevent dissociation, misrepresentation, or harmful use.
Every rendered output is cryptographically watermarked. Our provenance API lets any observer verify whether content was AI-generated or human-captured.
An independent ethics board composed of AI safety researchers, bioethicists, and civil rights advocates reviews all high-stakes deployments before approval.
Umbrella Research is completing its incubation phase and entering an accelerator program to scale AfterLight’s infrastructure, establish international operations, and bring memory-grounded AI to market.
We’re raising seed funding to scale infrastructure, hire key research talent, and accelerate our path from incubation to commercial launch.
We are selectively onboarding research partners, early adopters, and academic collaborators. Access to AfterLight’s full API stack is available to qualified applicants.
Tell us about your work and how you’d like to collaborate. We review every application.
