Meta secured a patent in December 2025 for AI technology that could simulate deceased users' social media activity. The system would use large language models trained on individual posting histories to generate posts, comments, and messages after death.
The patent, first filed in 2023 and credited to Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth, describes technology that could "simulate the user when the user is absent from the social networking system, for example, when the user takes a long break or if the user is deceased." According to Business Insider, the patent outlines a system where AI continues posting and interacting as a user even after their death.
Meta's proposed system would analyze user-specific data including past posts, comments, reactions, and engagement history. By training on this digital footprint, the AI model could create a version of the user that behaves in ways aligned with their established online personality.
The patent suggests this could apply to both deceased individuals and users taking prolonged breaks from platforms.
"The impact on the users is much more severe and permanent if that user is deceased and can never return to the social networking platform," the patent states.
Meta argues that sudden disappearance can deeply affect online communities and loved ones, with digital stand-ins potentially softening that absence.
The technology falls within the growing "grief tech" field, where companies develop tools to preserve or recreate aspects of people after death. Microsoft patented an AI chatbot in 2021 capable of simulating deceased individuals. Several startups have launched services creating AI-driven memorial avatars, with platforms like Replika and You, Only Virtual offering interactions with digital representations of loved ones.
Meta has clarified it has "no plans to move forward with this example." The company told Business Insider that filing patents doesn't necessarily mean it intends to commercialize the technology. Patents often protect experimental concepts that never reach public release.
Experts have raised concerns about legal, ethical, and psychological implications. Edina Harbinja, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham specializing in digital rights and post-mortem privacy, said the issue involves complex legal and philosophical considerations.
Questions remain about user consent, data control, and the line between remembrance and imitation.
The patent highlights how artificial intelligence is reshaping communication and understanding of presence in the digital age. As social media becomes intertwined with personal identity, what happens to online selves after death grows increasingly complex and technological.
