#24: THE LAST HACK PART 2: | WITH STEFAN SCHUMACHER
After the success of my podcast episode with Ingo Stoll on the topic of ‘The last hack: can we optimise dying?’, it was clear to me that this topic would not let go of me. What happens when life ends? And how is technology changing the way we deal with it? In this new episode, I go one step further - with a guest who gives an insight into what begins after death like no other: Stefan Schumacher, Managing Director of PBS GIO.
Stefan digitises cemeteries. Yes, that's right. And even if that sounds technical at first, there is a fascinating and highly topical issue behind it: how do we want to commemorate, mourn, remember - and perhaps even live on - in the future?
We talk about Google Maps for graves, digital mourning sites, CO₂-neutral funerals and the question of whether a place of remembrance always has to be physical. Another focus is on the use of artificial intelligence to create interactive memories - chatbots, audio recordings or even videos that the bereaved can stay in touch with long after death.
As a bio- & bodyhacker - or as many people know me: doc.cyborg - I am particularly interested in the interface between technology, identity and memory. In the following, I bring in examples from my community: from people who want to wear diamonds from the ashes of loved ones as implants under their skin, to NFC chips that can be used to open personal mourning pages.
Together with Stefan, I discuss visions for the future of dying: Will cemeteries become places of storytelling? Is there digital immortality? And where are the ethical boundaries when AI begins to respond on behalf of the deceased?
This episode is an invitation to reflect - on what was, what remains and what may yet become possible. If you are interested in biohacking, memory culture and the digital transformation of humanity, then this episode is for you.
Who is Stefan Schumacher?
Stefan Schumacher holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wuppertal and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. For over a decade, he has been the managing director of PBSGEO GmbH, a company based in Cologne that specialises in the digitalisation of cemeteries and the management of public green spaces.
PBSGEO GmbH, a spin-off of planungsbüro schumacher, was founded in 2011. Originally started as an engineering office for geoinformatics, the company developed its first desktop application for digital cemetery plans in 2013. Today, PBSGEO offers comprehensive software solutions that make it possible to digitally map and manage cemeteries. These solutions not only make the work of cemetery administrations and service providers easier, but also improve the visitor experience through functions such as QR code-based grave searches and interactive memorial pages.
Under the leadership of Stefan Schumacher, PBSGEO has already digitised over three million graves for more than 200 customers worldwide, including many large cities and administrations in Germany, Europe and South America. The company is known for its innovative strength and has received several awards.
Stefan Schumacher is also involved as the organiser of the Cologne Symposium for Digital Cemeteries, a leading event on the topic of digitalisation in cemeteries. His aim is to make cemeteries more accessible and easier to experience, thereby giving them greater social significance. With his work, Stefan Schumacher is making a significant contribution to bringing cemetery management into the digital age and setting new standards for sustainability, efficiency and cultural appreciation.
What you learn here
- Death is not a blind spot - it too can be shaped, expanded and optimised.
- Memory becomes a digital resource: AI, implants & databases extend identity beyond death.
- Coping with grief is a mental biohacking process: if you ignore it, you risk a slump in mental performance.
- Today, the physical grave is only half the truth - the digital grave provides access to the story behind it.
- CO₂-neutral burial = the final sustainability hack for a long life with a light footprint.
- Implants as memory carriers: when the NFC chip becomes a portal for personal devotion.
- Artificial intelligence as the digital twin of the deceased? The future is now - but with responsibility.
- Every life story is a data set - the question is: do we preserve it or let it disappear?
- Biohackers are not only thinking about life extension - but also about connection beyond life.
- The interface between man, machine and memory is there - we just have to define the access.
- Cemeteries are becoming emotional network nodes - places where past and future meet.
These lessons show how small impulses can provide the impetus for major changes.
Chapter overview
Kapitel & Highlights
00:00 - Introduction
Patrick Kramer on the question: Can dying be digitally optimised?
03:20 - Technology & Death: First Approach
How digitalisation is already intervening in mourning processes today.
10:00 - Google Maps for cemeteries
Stefan explains how digital cemetery maps work and what's behind them.
17:20 - Virtual graves & digital mourning sites
How remembrance culture is changing through technology - from physical location to digital identity.
24:50 - Biohacking & memory
Implants, diamonds made from ashes and NFC chips as an interface to the deceased.
35:00 - Artificial intelligence in the grave?
When the deceased continue to ‘talk’ about AI - and what that means emotionally & ethically.
46:30 - The future of dying
Visions of the Mars cemetery, mourning as a service and cemeteries as places for storytelling.
59:00 - Conclusion & personal vision
What really remains - and how can we preserve it?