Digital Immortality: An Afterlife in Digital Clouds

Thanks to the advances in AI, the concept of digital afterlife, considered science fiction a couple of years ago, is becoming a real possibility

The quest for immortality has been a fixture of human culture and imagination for millennia. Many religions promise a form of eternal life or an afterlife: Christianity speaks of Heaven, Islam of Paradise, and Hinduism and Buddhism discuss cycles of rebirth and eventual liberation (moksha or nirvana).

As we have progressed in science and technology, new ideas for achieving immortality have emerged. Numerous experiments suggest it may be possible to extend lifespan, raising the prospect of humans enjoying healthy lives at the age of 120–150 years or more. If, however, one cannot make it to the point where longevity escape velocity takes off, there is the option to have one’s body (or just the brain) cryogenically preserved, in the hope that future technology can bring it back to life.

In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence have introduced a new option. What if we could take all information about someone — their messages, emails, videos, and voice recordings — and train an AI on it to create a digital replica?