Meta has received a patent for technology that allows "simulating" user activity on social networks using large language models — right up to publications and responses after their death, writes Devby.io.
Illustrative photo
As reported by Business Insider, the corresponding document was approved in late December. It states that the model can be used "to simulate a user when they are absent from the social network — for example, if they take a long break or have died."
The system involves creating a digital clone based on the user's personal data: activity history, comments, likes, publications, correspondence, and other platform data. Such a clone will be able to like, comment on posts, and reply to private messages. The patent also mentions the possibility of simulating voice and video calls.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth is listed as the primary author of the application. The patent was filed in 2023. The document explains the possible logic behind the product: if a user stops publishing content, it affects the experience of their followers. Simply put, they will miss them. In the event of death, "the impact on other users is much more serious and prolonged."
The company stated that they do not plan to implement anything specific.
"We file patents to disclose concepts, but this does not mean that the company will necessarily develop or implement such solutions," a Meta representative said.
Market for "grief technologies"
Meta is not the first company working in this direction. Earlier, Microsoft patented a chatbot capable of imitating a deceased person. There are already startups on the market that create so-called death bots or grief tech — digital versions of people to preserve their memory.
Professor of Law at the University of Birmingham, Edina Harbinja, who specializes in digital rights and post-mortem privacy, notes that such technologies affect not only legal but also "very important social, ethical, and deeply philosophical questions."
Joseph Davis, a sociologist at the University of Virginia, believes that similar tools can influence the process of experiencing loss.
"One of the tasks of grief is to accept the real loss. Let the dead remain dead. The idea of bringing them back — although in reality, it's not them — creates confusion," he said.
Experts also point to possible business motivation: similar tools mean more engagement, more content, and more data for AI training.
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