Meta patent for ’AI digital doppelgängers’ rekindles ethics debate over keeping accounts active after death

Meta has been granted a patent describing technology to create AI-based “digital doppelgängers” that can keep a deceased or inactive user’s Instagram, Facebook or Threads account active. The system would train models on a user’s past posts, likes, comments and messages to mimic their behavior, reply to DMs, like or comment on others’ content, and potentially simulate voice or video interactions via large language models. Meta frames the tool as useful for creators who temporarily step away from social media, but critics, users and ethicists worry about distress, fraud and commercialization of the dead. Reddit users compared the idea to the Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back”; commentators raised concerns about scams, unwanted contact and posthumous monetization or misuse of a deceased person’s digital presence. Meta said the patent discloses a concept and does not guarantee development or deployment. Academics warn such technology may impede the grieving process by preventing people from confronting real loss. Microsoft and other firms have filed similar patents previously. Key keywords: Meta patent, AI digital doppelgänger, digital legacy, ethics, social media. Implications for traders: primarily reputational and regulatory risk for big tech, with limited direct effect on crypto markets — watch for policy responses around data rights and digital inheritance that could indirectly affect tokenized identity or NFT-based memorial products.