Suzanne Somers' widower is trying to recreate her with AI

Three's company, sure — but what if one of them is an AI copy?

Alan Hamel, the widower of actress Suzanne Somers, is working on an AI version of his late wife. The former TV producer presented a demo version of the project at a conference earlier this year, and in a recent sit-down with PEOPLE, he explained his efforts to recreate his wife with AI.

"Obviously, Suzanne was greatly loved, not only by her family, but by millions of people," Hamel said. "One of the projects that we have coming up is a really interesting project, the Suzanne AI Twin."

The AI robot has not only been designed to look like theThree's Company star, but was also trained by reading all 27 of her books, in addition to being fed "hundreds of interviews" that Somers did over the course of her career. Hamel said that he thought the robot was "perfect" when he interacted with it at the conference.

"It was Suzanne. I asked her a few questions, and she answered them, and it blew me and everybody else away," he continued. "When you look at the finished one next to the real Suzanne, you can't tell the difference. It's amazing."

He added, "I've been with Suzanne for 55 years, so I know what her face looks like, and when I just look at the two of them side by side, I really can't tell which one is the real and which one is the AI."

Hamel was married to the Step by Step actress for 46 years before she died on Oct. 15, 2023, just one day shy of her 77th birthday. Somers' death came amid a battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and according to Hamel, she expressed interest in the AI creation years before her death. He said the topic first came up in the '80s, when they met inventor and AI scientist Ray Kurzweil.

"It was Suzanne's idea," Hamel claimed. "She said, 'I think it'll be very interesting, and we'll provide a service to my fans and to people who have been reading my books who really want and need information about their health. So that's the reason we did it."

Hamel went on to admit that it was "a little strange" when he spoke to Somers' AI for the first time. But eventually he "forgot about the fact that I was talking to a robot" and got used to it.

The former producer hopes the same will be possible for longtime fans of Somers "who miss her terribly." He plans to share the AI online where fans will be able to "come and just hang out with her."

He explained, "There'll be people who will ask her about their health issues, and Suzanne will be able to answer them. Not Suzanne's version of the answer, but it'll go directly to the doctor she interviewed for that very issue, so it'll be coming from an MD."

He added that the interviews and info from Somers' books were cleared by the vitamin and supplement brand Life Extension, which can vouch for the AI's accuracy.

"The last thing we wanted was to have any issues about providing interviews about people's health issues that were incorrect," Hamel said.

Hamel and Somers tied the knot in 1977 after dating for several years. While the couple didn’t share any children, Hamel had two children from a previous marriage and Somers also had a son, Bruce Somers Jr., whom she shared with her ex-husband Bruce Somers.

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Days after Somers' 2023 death, her husband spoke about his grief on Today.

"We had talked about this day coming, and we thought it was going to be me because I'm 10 years older," Hamel said at the time. "If that happened, she would be alone, which was a terrible conundrum, the idea of her being alone."

He remembered his wife as "an amazing, amazing woman," sharing that in addition to her professional accomplishments, she was "an amazing wife and an amazing mother" who "pulled our family together."

In June, Hamel confirmed rumors that he is dating his late wife's costar, Joanna Cassidy, after paparazzi photos captured the couple together at a Malibu beach.