Meta Granted a Patent to Bring Back the Dead Through AI
Meta has been granted a patent for an artificial intelligence system capable of continuing a person’s social media activity after they stop using the platform, including after death. The patent, filed in 2023 by Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth and granted in late December 2025, outlines a large language model designed to simulate a user’s online behavior across the company’s platforms.
Meta said the concept was intended to maintain continuity for users with strong online presences, including influencers or creators who take extended breaks. The patent notes that followers may experience disruption when a prominent account suddenly stops posting, adding that the impact becomes permanent if the user is deceased.
The company currently has no plans to develop or release the technology. It also noted that patents are often filed to protect ideas or explore future possibilities rather than signal active product plans.
How the system would work
According to the patent filing, the AI would build a digital persona using “user-specific” data collected from activity across Meta platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The simulated account could:
- Like and comment on posts
- Respond to direct messages
- Publish new content in the user’s voice
- Maintain engagement with followers
The patent also references potential tools that could simulate audio or video interactions, though such capabilities remain theoretical. The document states that simulated responses would be identified as AI-generated rather than produced directly by the user.
A growing category of “digital afterlife” technology
Meta’s concept is not the first of its kind. In 2021, Microsoft patented a chatbot capable of simulating deceased individuals, though the company later abandoned the idea. Meanwhile, startups and services such as Replika and 2wai have explored AI systems that allow users to create digital versions of themselves or loved ones.
These systems, often described as “deadbots” or grief technology, aim to preserve memories and enable ongoing interaction with a digital representation of a person.
Overall, the idea feels uncanny. It raises a simple question: should a resource-intensive technology be used for something like this? AI systems already require vast amounts of energy and water to operate at scale. Using them to simulate a person’s presence after death may strike many as a strange priority.
Supporters point to potential benefits, but the emotional impact remains difficult to ignore. Recreating the voice or behavior of someone who has died could complicate grief rather than ease it. Letting go is part of healing, and a digital stand-in may prolong attachment or create new forms of dependency.
Even in less sensitive cases, such as maintaining an influencer’s online presence, the concept raises concerns. A simulated persona could blur authenticity and deepen parasocial relationships, reinforcing one-sided emotional bonds that already shape online culture.