Loose definition of doppelgänger (from the German for “double-walker”): someone who looks exactly like someone else but who is not genetically related to that person. Could be a ghost or spirit …
Email received this morning from my brother:
Subject: Interesting/Intriguing Question 🤔
“If u could create an AI doppelganger for your friends & family, etc., before you die, would you? Since it’s AI, it would continue to learn too..
“*Note: not a human or even robotic doppelganger, more like interactive screen or hologram to converse with”
My response:
Interesting thought. I could envision a world in which only those doppelgängers survive and have “learned” themselves into entities that have no resemblance to the people they originally “doppelgänged” from. That is a terrifying proposition to me.
On the other hand, could it be any more terrifying than what actual humans have evolved into? We are not currently a species that I am proud to be a member of.
Whether we live and die as ephemeral beings or survive as permanent AI imitations, the bottom line is we are a destructive and selfish species who probably would do more good to this planet if we were extinct.
However, I suspect your question comes from feelings closer to home such as fear of dying and being forgotten. Those are issues I think we are all dealing with at this point in our lives. What will my life have been for after I’m no longer here? Who will remember me and what will I be remembered for?
Some people try to ensure their remembrance by plastering their own name on buildings and monuments. Some are remembered by others for their contributions to society or culture or family. I think the AI doppelgänger supporters are part of the first group. Personally, I would prefer to be remembered by others after I’m gone than to force myself on others while I am still alive.
So I guess the short answer to your question is no, I would not want to leave an AI doppelgänger for my friends or family, etc. I’m pretty sure they will all have had quite enough of me by the time I die.
It is, however, interesting to me that since my siblings each have such different ideas of who I am, I can’t imagine any two of you agreeing that any doppelgänger of me represented my actual self! So having any semblance of me continuing after I pass would only prolong the claims that someone knows me best. So no thanks. Just remember what you will and let me rest in peace.
Thanks for this Sunday morning opportunity for reflection on the meaning of life!
xoxox
Platypus Thoughts 
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