Submitted by Dimitar_Drew t3_11b5q2v in Futurology
Revenge_of_the_User t1_j9yalll wrote
Having held some internal debates regarding this (i have a wide variety of conceptual exposure through media, so like others ive thought about this already to some extent)
...i think its unobtainable in some ways, unhealthy in others, and opens new avenues towards risk.
To elaborate;
I think its not really worth what people want it for. Keepsakes and memorabilia exist already, along with reminders like voice messages, cards with recorded messages on them, tattoos of voice recordings, and the wealth of media that most people have of themselves means theres little benefit to having a digital copy specifically for interacting with. No matter how similar something is, a copy can never quite fill the hole made by the original.
Death happens. Its not fair, its not entirely predictable, and it scares a lot of people and makes even more uncomfortable. I could see a digital copy of a dead person exacerbating issues with moving on, letting go, and even mental illnesses in that vein.
Assuming these copies don't grow or "age/mature" brings in issues with the longevity and intended use of these things. If you lose a kid at 10 and obtain a digital clone of them, at what point do you just get over dealing with this perpetual digital 10 year old? Once they stop being copies and grow, they stop being the person you lost and become something else. Feelings of abandonment over turning off a program probably wont help much.
Then theres expected use duration. At what point does this vague resemblance stop being a comfort and instead becomes an ugly, painful reminder to whats lost? How does that affect the dynamic?
Then speaking as someone who will or would be cloned - what are my experiences going to be like? I dont think id want a digital clone to be made, because that wouldnt be me; it would be a facsimile of me pushing whatever the programmers want it to push. Maybe itll cook up something awful via unintended programming or glitches.....i dont want my "legacy" to be tied to that. It also concerns me that it would need basically my life experiences, just aaall the information i can recall...and even then, were made by millions of little decisions that we'll never remember. How do you reliably translate all that, and protect that info?
Its gonna be a shitshow. Full of what i suspect are just rando-bots that appear or sound similar to a loved one that cant ever truly be that loved one. Even if it sounds alike, or uses AI to mimic a 3d appearance or speaking/writing style, its just .....someone else. Ill stick to what weve got, thanks.
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