Meta patents tech that will allow users to keep posting even after they've died

People have been left stunned after discovering a new form of technology patented by Meta that allows social media accounts to continue to be operated after death, all with the help of large language models.

While there are some biohackers trying to achieve the impossible goal of living forever, there will reach a point for every one of us where life ends, and social media platforms often have measures that preserve accounts for those wanting to remember their loved ones after passing.

These accounts are typically locked at the point of the person's death, or removed entirely if their family would rather that be the case, yet soon this could be expanded with a rather dystopian new feature.

As reported by Business Insider, social media giant Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – was granted a patent late last year that illustrates new technology allowing for accounts to be 'simulated' using large language model AI after a person's death.

"The language model may be used for simulating the user when the user is absent from the social networking system," the patent outlines, "for example, when the user takes a long break or if the user is deceased."

This likely immediately sets off alarm bells for many, harkening back to the dead internet theory that's edging closer to reality with every passing day, but there's also fears regarding the ethical concerns if such a feature were to exist.

The rise of frighteningly realistic AI videos have already allowed people to 'reanimate' their relatives or loved ones that have passed away in a dystopian simulacra, and this would only add to that — especially if it was to act independently.

One spokesperson for Meta informed Business Insider that the company has "no plans to move forward with this example," but the fact it was considered in the first place is enough for some to be creeped out.

"No one wants this," wrote one user on X in reference to the suggestion, whereas another noted: "This isn't about grief. It's about data permanence. The pattern is clear: your digital identity is now a corporate asset that outlives you. They've moved from monetizing your attention to monetizing your absence."

It's certainly not surprising either, as many social media platforms have seen an exodus of users across the last few years in response to recent political trends, so there's no better way to pretend as if nothing has changed than creating simulations of those people are away.

The patent itself explains that the LLM would create activity that 'mirrors' your past actions on the platform by training it on your history, but what would happen if it did or said something that you don't approve of?

It's certainly a can of worms that few people would like to see opened, yet with activity and engagement the economy of modern social media, it feels like the inevitable next step for platforms like these.