Facebook parent Meta may be working on AI model that can ‘revive’ dead social media users

Facebook parent Meta is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system that could simulate the online activity of deceased or inactive users. The patent for the same, filed in 2023, was recently approved, according to a report.

The patent outlines a large language model designed to generate posts and responses based on a user’s past comments, likes, photos and other shared content. The system would allow Facebook and Instagram to post on behalf of dormant accounts, including those of users who have died. It also references technology capable of simulating text conversations, as well as audio and video interactions that resemble the user.According to the filing (as seen by Fortune), the goal is to maintain engagement on the platform, as prolonged account inactivity, particularly for deceased users, can affect others' experience.

Andrew Bosworth noted in the patent that inactivity can have a lasting impact on social interactions within the platform. Experts say the approach reflects a broader effort to use AI systems to extend a user's digital presence beyond their lifetime.

What Meta said about this AI model

In a statement to Fortune, a Meta spokesperson said, “We have no plans to move forward with this example.” While a patent does not mean the company is actively developing the technology, the spokesperson added that Meta and the patent’s primary author, Bosworth, will continue to explore applications for large language models.

At present, Facebook and Instagram allow users to remove or “memorialise” the accounts of deceased individuals. Memorialised accounts are marked with a “Remembering” label, and no one can log into them.Meta is not the first major technology company to patent a system to extend a person’s digital presence. In 2017, Microsoft filed a patent for a method to create a chatbot based on a person’s “social data", including images, social media posts, messages, voice recordings and written correspondence.Microsoft’s Tim O’Brien, who previously oversaw the company’s AI programs, described the technology as “disturbing” after Microsoft said it had no plans to build it.Since Microsoft received that patent, services that recreate aspects of deceased individuals using digital tools have become more widely available and are now used by some people regularly.