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Here’s what death will look like, according to AI

David BenjaminOctober 8, 2025

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — A near death experience (NDE) is a state of disconnected consciousness, where a person who usually is involved in a traumatic incident – such as a coma, a car crash or a heart attack – is close to death. These people often reach a point of being declared clinically dead before being brought back to life, returning to recall experiences they compare to an afterlife. A lot of testimonies from people who have had NDEs often say they felt a sense of peace, had an out of body sensation, or had encounters with passed loved ones or spiritual beings. So Metro asked Midjourney AI to recreate some NDE experiences based on experiences that came up time and time again, and this is what it came up with (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Life review

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — One of the common things people have reported from their NDEs is watching a review of their life. This is sometimes linear, sometimes not, but can act as a turning point for someone who realises that they have been treating people wrong, or wants to do something different with their life. Here, AI has reimagined it as someone watching their life on a screen, like a movie (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Meeting celestial beings

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — More often than not, people have positive NDEs and this can involve seeing angels. Seeing celestial beings like angels can bring people a sense of peace — both of which are hallmarks of NDEs. This image shows a massive being with wings, similar to how you often see angels depicted, that is welcoming to people to something that would presumably be heaven (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Horror spirits

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — However, not all NDEs are positive, and some can be negative. In one case, a person revealed that during their NDE, they saw a group of people talking who then later attacked him. Negative NDEs can often leave people traumatised and alter their lives, with some people saying they become more humble or turned to religion. This AI image does not look very welcoming, although it definitely looks otherworldly (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Ascending to heaven

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — Previously speaking to Metro, Dr Charlotte Martial, a neuroscientist with the Coma Science Group and the University of Liege, explains that when a person has an NDE, a flush of chemicals floods their brain. The team found that the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, GABA, glutamate and endorphins all play a part when someone is having an NDE, so there is a chance that the visual images people see are what they would expect to see. For example, in this AI image, ascending to heaven is very fluffy. The opening is from the side of a bedroom as nothing follows reality, but it fits in with an image many people in Western countries would associate as heavenly (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Going to hell

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — The same occurs when people say they found themselves in hell. In one example, a priest says he saw demons. He said: ‘The things I saw were literally indescribable and makes me emotional every time I talk about it. But one of the things I saw which blew me away was there was a man on all fours like a dog and he was burned from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet and his eyes were bulging out. He had a chain around his neck so he was like a dog in hell. And what was worse than that was who was holding the chain. It was a demon holding the chain.’ According to AI, hell is a barren, fiery place which does not look very enticing (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Tunnel of light

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — Another hallmark of an NDE is a bright light at the end of the tunnel, which AI has imagined here as a man floating upwards. Seeing a light at the end of a tunnel is almost a cliche way of seeing death, but it’s commonly reported and signifies a new stage in ‘life’. People also report feeling a sense of peace and harmony, as if they became ‘one’ with the universe (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

Meeting loved ones

Here's what death looks like, according to people who have 'died — Seeing the spirts of loved ones who have previously passed away is also common. In one case, a man saw his grandparents, his mother in law and his cousin’s partner, all of whom said the same thing to him, which is that he did not belong there and he needed to go back home. Seeing loved ones can bring a sense of peace which is why the brain may conjure images of people you love when you’re near death (Picture: Midjourney / Metro)

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