Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been granted a patent for an artificial intelligence system capable of replicating a user’s social media activity, including posting, commenting and responding to messages after their death.

 

Filed in 2023 and approved in late December, the patent outlines a system that trains a large language model on a user’s historical activity to recreate their online behavior.

 

The filing, which lists Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth as the primary author, describes how the AI could generate posts, likes, comments and direct message replies using data such as past content, interactions and engagement history. 

 

While it could also simulate video or audio calls, according to the patent, the system may maintain a user’s presence during long absences or after death, noting that inactivity has a lasting impact on the experience of followers who cannot interact with the user.

 

Meta has stated the patent is conceptual and has no immediate plans to develop or deploy the system. A company spokesperson said that patents are often filed to protect ideas that may never be commercialised.

 

However, the concept aligns with remarks made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2023, when he suggested AI could help people interact with digital representations of loved ones, provided it operates with user consent.

 

It merits a mention that the concept is not unique. Microsoft patented a chatbot in 2021 designed to simulate deceased individuals, public figures or fictional characters. Several startups have since launched services offering AI-driven memorial avatars. 

 

The technology raises legal and ethical questions, particularly regarding post-mortem privacy, as noted by Edina Harbinja, a University of Birmingham professor specialising in digital rights.

 

Public response to the news has been largely critical. Users expressed concern over the potential for AI to manipulate the digital identities of the deceased.

 

“Imagine arguing with someone online and they’ve been dead for three years,” wrote one user, while another said, “That should be illegal. How can they co-opt the words and data and digital likeness of a dead person without that person’s permission or the permission of their family?” 

 

Others highlighted risks to social networks, noting, “Imagine finding out months later that your friend who died was actually an AI chatbot. This isn’t about personal choice when it affects everyone in someone’s network.” 

 

Comparisons to fictional scenarios also appeared, with one reaction stating, “So Black Mirror was a product roadmap.”

 

One comment used the news to make a joke about politics, stating, “Oh my god. We’re never getting rid of Trump.”