Meta has registered a patent for an innovative artificial intelligence capable of preserving user activity on social media even after their death. The system involves creating a digital “clone” of a person that can leave comments, respond to messages, and interact with other users, mimicking the style and habits of the account owner.
This is reported by Finway
How the Digital Clone Works
According to the patent documentation, the AI language model developed by Meta can perform the functions of a user in the event of their prolonged absence or after their death. The AI learns based on the history of a person’s actions: it analyzes comments, likes, posts, and other content to closely replicate personal behavior and communication style.
The main author of the patent is Andrew Bosworth, the Chief Technology Officer of Meta. The application was submitted back in 2023. At the same time, company representatives have stated that practical implementation of this technology is not currently planned.
- The digital clone can respond to private messages, leave likes, and comments.
- For influencers and content creators, the AI can maintain account activity during vacations or breaks.
- In the future, the model may imitate audio and video calls.
Ethical Challenges and Societal Impact
“This is not just technology. Imitating deceased individuals raises profound ethical questions regarding privacy, digital rights, and the experience of grief,” notes Edina Harbinja, a professor at the University of Birmingham’s law faculty.
Experts emphasize the numerous legal, social, and philosophical implications of implementing such solutions. They highlight that using AI to imitate the activities of the deceased is significantly different from employing similar systems during a digital detox or a person’s temporary absence.
Meta has previously addressed the topic of digital legacy. Over the last decade, the company has developed functionalities for managing accounts after a user’s death: specifically, Facebook allowed users to designate a “successor” for their account. As part of the development of the metaverse, the possibility of creating virtual avatars of the deceased has also been considered.
Similar products already exist in the startup market. For example, the Replika platform offers a chatbot that allows users to communicate with a digital copy of a deceased person, while You, Only Virtual (YOV) supports those who are grieving. In 2021, Microsoft also patented a chatbot for imitating deceased individuals.
The morality of such solutions remains an open question. Joseph Davis, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia, points out that digital clones may affect the grieving process and create the illusion of the deceased’s return, which could lead to emotional confusion.
Edina Harbinja adds that with the emergence of such technologies in the mainstream market, commercial interest in “grief technology” is only increasing.