Meta has granted a patent for an AI bot that would keep a facebooks user's feed active after even after they have passed away. Meta has ...
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| Meta has granted a patent for an AI bot that would keep a facebooks user's feed active after even after they have passed away. |
In practice, the system could take control of accounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, using past posts, messages, and behavioral patterns to generate new content. Instead of static memorial pages, profiles could remain fully interactive — continuing conversations, sharing milestones, and responding to friends indefinitely.
Supporters see potential emotional value. For grieving families, a persistent digital presence might feel like continuity rather than absence. The technology fits neatly into a broader trend of AI-driven identity modeling — systems trained to replicate voice, writing style, and conversational habits.
But the risks are harder to ignore. Consent becomes murky when behavior continues after a person can no longer revise, retract, or reinterpret their own identity. Families, platforms, or corporations could effectively manage a version of someone’s personality — deciding what “they” say, how they respond, and how long they remain present. Grief itself could become a data-driven engagement loop.
There’s also the question of authenticity. If an AI keeps posting, when does memory become simulation? At what point does preservation cross into performance?
Social media accounts were once expected to fade into silence. This patent suggests a different future — one where digital identities don’t just remain archived, but continue to act, speak, and evolve. In that world, logging off may no longer be the end.
