Flatline: Digital Resurrections and the Dawn of Virtual Immortality
by Variable Rush
Several years ago an advertisement used digitally-altered footage of famed dancer Fred Astaire, who was originally dancing with a broom, to instead show him with a vacuum cleaner. Years later, Orville Redenbacher, famed for their popcorn, decided to use CGI to resurrect their long-deceased founder and spokesman in an ad that looked plain creepy.
The ancient Egyptians used to believe that a person was not truly dead as long as you kept their name alive. We have long passed the age where the dead sell us popcorn, vacuum cleaners, and milk, and are entering the age where the long-deceased can read us books, carry on conversations, and more.
William Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer, and various media afterward, such as the Netflix series Black Mirror, have explored the idea of a digital representation of a deceased person created via their memories, writing, social media posts, or brain scans. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, the line between science fiction and reality blurs. By the time you read this, this kind of technology may well exist in a more permanent state.
The Concept of a Flatline Construct
In Neuromancer, the term "flatline construct" refers to a digital construct of a deceased person's consciousness, made from their brain activity recorded during their lifetime.
This construct retains the personality, memories, and skills of the individual, allowing it to interact with the living. Similarly, the Black Mirror episode "Be Right Back" depicts a service that recreates a deceased person's personality using their digital footprint from social media and other online interactions. In the case of Black Mirror, the service begins as a chatbot and up to a 1:1 scale robot of the deceased individual. Other Black Mirror episodes ("Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too" and "White Christmas") explore the idea of an Amazon Echo-like device being programmed with a copy of a person's mental image.
Technological Foundations
The foundation for creating a flatline lies in several converging technologies.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are at the forefront, with algorithms that can analyze vast amounts of data to replicate human behavior and decision-making processes. Machine learning models trained on a person's digital footprint can simulate their personality and responses, offering a semblance of their former presence.
Neural recording and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are another critical component. Advances in these technologies enable the capture of brain activity in high resolution, potentially mapping the neural patterns associated with memories and consciousness. This capability could allow for the recreation of a person's mind in a digital format.
The proliferation of big data and digital footprints also plays a significant role. Individuals leave behind extensive digital trails, including emails, messages, social media posts, photos, and videos, which provide rich material for reconstructing a person's digital persona. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies can then create immersive environments where digital constructs of deceased individuals can interact with the living, enhancing the sense of presence and realism.
Without this convergence of technology, a flatline construct could be made of a person with one or two of these three foundations, but to create a full copy of a person, a construct would need to be able to have access to the underlying thoughts, phobias, fears, and other background knowledge a person has, even if they never spoke of certain things. Otherwise, you get something not unlike a chatbot that has a specific person's voice, but would not have the breadth of knowledge an individual would possess.
Current Developments and Research
Several companies and research initiatives are already exploring the potential of flatline constructs.
For instance, Eternime aims to create digital avatars of individuals that can live on after their death. By analyzing social media activity, photos, and videos, Eternime's AI generates an interactive avatar that can converse with future generations. Replika, another AI-driven project, uses machine learning to create a chatbot that mimics the user's conversational style. Originally designed as an AI friend, Replika's underlying technology demonstrates the potential for creating lifelike digital constructs. However, Replika's original goal has gone off the rails as a large portion of its users have decided they could turn their AI into the "perfect" AI girlfriend, no life outside of the user, unable to say no, and panics when threatened with deletion. I do not recommend researching the rabbit hole I went down to find that out.
MIT's AlterEgo project involves a wearable device that captures internal vocalizations (what they call silent speech) and uses AI to interpret them. While its primary goal is to enhance human cognition and treat neurological conditions, such technology could eventually facilitate the creation of detailed neural maps. Similarly, Elon Musk's Neuralink is developing technology capable of high-resolution neural recording. While its primary focus is on enhancing human cognition and treating neurological conditions, the technology holds promise for capturing detailed neural patterns essential for creating a flatline construct, possibly one that could be implanted in a robot body.
Even with an ubiquitous technology such as ChatGPT, you can tell it something like, "You are Karamo from Queer Eye. Talk to me about my struggles as though you are him." And then have a conversation with Fake Karamo, or Fake Steve Irwin, or some other famous person.
Ethical and Societal Implications
The possibility of digital resurrections raises profound ethical and societal questions. One of the primary concerns is consent and privacy.
Creating a digital construct of a deceased person requires access to their personal data and (once they exist) neural recordings. Ensuring informed consent and respecting privacy is paramount. Should individuals have the right to control how their digital footprint is used after death?
Famed comedian Robin Williams must have seen the future we now live in when he instituted a clause in his will that he will not allow his likeness to be used digitally after his death in films or ads. Just a few weeks ago, ElevenLabs announced digital voice clones of Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and others to be able to read audio books and more. And not too long ago, James Earl Jones signed his voice away to be used for Darth Vader long after he's gone off to that field of dreams in the sky.
Another significant issue is identity and authenticity.
Can a digital construct truly capture the essence of a person, or is it merely an imitation? The authenticity of these digital representations will be scrutinized, and their impact on the grieving process must be considered. Legal and ownership issues also arise, questioning who owns the core memories of a deceased person and the legal status of digital resurrections. Could a digital construct of a victim be used as a witness in their own murder trial?
The psychological impact of interacting with the digital construct of a deceased loved one is another critical consideration. While it could provide comfort to some, it might exacerbate grief for others. The broader societal implications, including the potential changes in how we perceive life, death, and identity, must be carefully examined.
The Road Ahead
While the complete realization of flatline technology may still be years away, the rapid pace of advancements in AI, neural interfaces, and data analysis suggests it is within reach. Researchers and developers must navigate complex ethical and technical challenges to ensure that this technology is used responsibly and benefits society.
The exploration of digital resurrections underscores the potential for technology to reshape our understanding of existence and legacy, heralding a new era of interaction between the living and the digital echoes of the past. As we stand on the brink of this new frontier, it is essential to balance the exciting possibilities with thoughtful ethical considerations to ensure a future where digital immortality enriches rather than diminishes the human experience.