We Tried Out the AI Death Clock App. It Was Surprisingly Encouraging

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2070, is the day I will die, according to Death Clock, an AI-powered app that crunched the numbers on my lifestyle, compared me with the results of 1,217 scientific studies and figured out when I would likely kick the bucket. It seems pretty generous to me. I'll be in my 90s if it comes true. The current average life expectancy for US women is 80.2 years, so I must be doing something right.

Death Clock is part life coach and part grim reaper waiting patiently on your doorstep while offering helpful tips for delaying your inevitable demise. The developers call it an app for "AI-powered longevity." AI analyzes your answers to a health and lifestyle questionnaire and compares it with what studies say about longevity. For example, smoking cigarettes can have a negative impact on lifespan. The AI can calculate the toll smoking takes on your expected lifespan and also figure out how many years you could earn back by quitting. "Because nothing says 'I care' like an AI trying to keep you alive," the app description quips.

It's one thing to dwell on your possible date of death. The more important part of the equation is what you can do about it. If you dig deeper into the app, you'll find motivational tools, exercise suggestions, supplement recommendations and ideas for healthy meals.

Death Clock app screenshot with grim reaper riding a bike and a 91 health score. — Death Clock delivers a personalized health score.
Death Clock screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Death Clock AI officially launched on Sept. 18, though it's been available in earlier forms in the Apple App Store since May. It's also available through Google Play for Android. You can run your death date for free, but a subscription is required to access the full features, including personalized suggestions for improving your health and (potentially) pushing back your death date. The app offers a seven-day free trial. A subscription runs $10 per month or $40 per year.

Be prepared to be honest about your habits. Death Clock runs you through a series of questions that touch on diet, exercise, mental health, physical health and your social life. How much sleep do you get? What are your cholesterol levels? How much of the day do you spend sitting? Besides your death date, the app will estimate your biological age and assign you a health score. You can then explore ways to improve your stats.

Death Clock may seem morbid, especially if your predicted death date is uncomfortably close, but it's meant to be a tool for positive change. I tried the app again, but lied about my habits. I fed it a fictional version of me that eschews vegetables, chows on processed foods, uses nicotine, rarely works out and experiences frequent stress. Death Clock adjusted my death date accordingly, putting it at Thursday, April 9, 2043. What a difference. That's motivation for me to stay on the straight and narrow -- to keep on running, eating my garden vegetables and socializing with supportive friends.

There's a lot of competition among fitness apps and mental health apps. Death Clock aims to set itself apart with its eye-opening death-date hook and through offering a holistic approach that addresses everything from substance use to sleep habits. The free trial should be enough time to evaluate whether Death Clock's approach works for you. The app seems to be taking to heart a famous line from a Monty Python song: "Always look on the bright side of death."