Meta company was granted a patent at the end of December 2025 for an artificial intelligence system that can "simulate" a person's social network activity, even when that person has passed away. The document shows that a large-language model (LLM) can replace users to post, respond to content or interact with others.
According to the patent content, the language model can be used to simulate users when they are absent from social media systems, such as long breaks or death. Mr. Andrew Bosworth, Chief Technology Officer of Meta, is the main author of the file first filed in 2023.
Meta's spokesman told Business Insider that the company currently has no plans to implement the example mentioned in the patent. This representative emphasized that being licensed does not mean that Meta will develop or apply that technology.
The patent document explains that when a person stops online activity, the experience of their followers may be affected. The impact will be more serious and permanent if that person has passed away and cannot return to the platform. To fill in the gap, the system can create a "digital copy" by training the model based on personal data such as comments, likes, posted content, to recreate the previous behavior. This copy can like, comment or reply to messages directly, or even simulate video or audio calls.
This idea is considered useful for content creators or influencers who need to temporarily leave social media. However, it also raises many questions about the nature of technology and the pain of loss.
Ms. Edina Harbinja, professor at the University of Birmingham Law School, believes that the issue is not only legal but also related to deep social, ethical and philosophical aspects. Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph Davis, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, expressed concern that such tools could affect how people face loss. According to him, one of the tasks of the process of grief is to accept the real departure.
Meta has long been interested in digital heritage management. About a decade ago, Facebook deployed a tool that allowed users to designate "heritage contacts" to manage their accounts after death. In 2023, in an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned the possibility of creating virtual avatars for the deceased, saying that interacting or reviving memories can help mourners.
Startups pursuing "grief tech" have emerged on the market. Replica was founded by Eugenia Kuyda after losing her best friend. You, Only Virtual was founded by Justin Harrison when his mother had cancer. In 2021, Microsoft also patented a chatbot that could simulate the dead or fictional characters.
According to Ms. Harbinja, business motivation is also a noteworthy factor because such technology can create more content and data. How to deploy it, on which Meta applications and how much simulation is still an open question.
