AI ‘ghostbots’ of dead relatives could target bereaved families and raid bank accounts, expert warns

THE recent advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has led people being digitally reincarnated online, without permission.

These so-called ‘ghostbots’ are being made from the digital footprints people leave behind when they pass away, often in the form of old social media accounts.

Getty – ContributorDr Marisa McVey from the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast said there people’s privacy or after death was under threat due to the rise in AI[/caption]

The power of AI means these digital shadows can be turned into chatbots, deepfakes or even holographs that can replicate the voice, face and even personality of a dead person.

However, there is a risk that they will be hijacked by cyber criminals to target bereaved families for money.

A research study from Queen’s University Belfast, Aston Law School and Newcastle University Law School, has called for greater regulation around this phenomenon.

In 2020, Kanye West famously gifted Kim Kardashian a hologram of her late-father for her birthday.

But Dr Marisa McVey from the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast said there people’s privacy or after death was under threat due to the rise in AI.

“’Ghostbots’ lie at the intersection of many different areas of law, such as privacy and property, and yet there remains a lack of protection for the deceased’s personality, privacy, or dignity after death,” she said.

“Furthermore, in the UK, privacy and data protection laws do not extend to heirs after death.

“While it is not thought that ‘ghostbots’ could cause physical harm, the likelihood is that they could cause emotional distress and economic harm, particularly impacting upon the deceased’s loved ones and heirs.

“Currently, in the absence of specific legislation in the UK and further afield, it’s unclear who might have the power to bring back our digital persona after we die.”

In the US and Europe, there is an effort to regulate the ownership of digital identities, and whether that can be transferred after death.

With legislation lagging behind as technology races ahead, McVey suggested one way people in the UK can protect themselves might be through drafting of a legally binding ‘do not bot me’ clause that could be inserted into wills while people are still alive.

“This, combined with a global searchable database of such requests, may prove a useful solution to some of the concerns raised by ‘ghostbots’,” she continued.

“We also suggest that in addition to legal protections, greater societal awareness of the phenomenon of ‘ghostbots’, education on digital legacies and cohesive protection across different jurisdictions is crucial to ensure that this does not happen without our permission.”

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