this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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Meta has been granted a patent outlining an AI system capable of simulating a user’s activity on social media to post after their death.

Some fucked up shit.

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[–] TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.ca 140 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

Found the appropriate response.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Prime time to remind that Meta probably cranks out five hundred patents every day in case they ever have to engage in patent warfare against competitors. For the simple reason that the competitors are doing the same thing.

The patents cover every little thing under the sun that they can think of, but oddly I don't see each of those patents discussed online.

[–] Novis@lemdro.id 57 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

That's fucking...... why would a patent office let that be a thing? FUCK

[–] Novis@lemdro.id 58 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

This reminds me of that one judge that let prosecution use an AI approximation of a dead man against someone that killed the dead man to speak in the dead man's voice and I just wanted to throw the justice system INTO THE OCEAN cause wtf. https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/tech/ai-courtroom-victim-impact-statement-arizona/

[–] ToTheGraveMyLove@sh.itjust.works 44 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That is so horribly unethical. Wtf is wrong with people.

[–] Novis@lemdro.id 27 points 2 weeks ago

What? Come on! It made the judge "feel" something! Not like someone's died or something! /s

[–] mech@feddit.org 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Judge Todd Lang of Maricopa County Superior Court ultimately sentenced Pelkey’s killer Gabriel Paul Horcasitas to 10.5 years for manslaughter — although the state had asked for only 9.5 years — and 12.5 years in total, including an endangerment charge.

“I love that AI. Thank you for that,” Lang said, a recording of the hearing shows.

WTF.

[–] Novis@lemdro.id 24 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, ain't it great that judges can be easily swayed by some bullshit? Good country, ethics really well here.

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[–] turboSnail@piefed.europe.pub 7 points 2 weeks ago

The job of the patent office is to determine whether that’s a valid patent application or not. As in, can you actually patent that thing, has someone else already patented it etc. As long as it’s technically valid, it gets approved. It’s up to the patent holder to test if its actually useful or not. If they choose to build the thing IRL, it’s up to the courts to determine if that breaks any laws. Every step along the way, the general public is there to judge the moral integrity of said invention, but usually that has no impact on the validity of the patent. Depending on jurisdiction, the patent office may need to follow some moral guielines, but the threshold of rejection is very high. My guess is, you won’t be able to patent a gas chamber for exterminating “illegal immigrants”, but patenting wild Meta BS is technically fine.

See also: this abomination

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[–] darkevilmac@lemmy.zip 55 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] W98BSoD@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] NKBTN@feddit.uk 18 points 2 weeks ago

Hey guys! We've invented the Dead Person Simulator from that Black Mirror episode "Don't Invent Dead Person Simulators!"

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[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 28 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Literally dead Internet theory

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Thought experiment: near 100% of facebook users are such bots. Watch them interact with each other unfettered and see where it mutates.

Bonus interview with the one real facebook user left.

[–] tino@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago

the future is when you can't buy RAM because your dead cousin is using it to spam your feed with their antivaxx ideas.

[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 22 points 2 weeks ago
[–] Apocalypteroid@anarchist.nexus 21 points 2 weeks ago

Literally a black mirror episode.

[–] 1dalm@lemmings.world 20 points 2 weeks ago

That... Is some fucked up shit.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Black mirror had a episode about this years ago. It's crazy no one patented this before.

[–] trougnouf@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Would the black mirror episode not count as prior art and therefore invalidate the patent?

[–] biggerbogboy@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago

Didn’t think I’d cross digital necromancy off my bingo card!

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 16 points 2 weeks ago

They'd probably opt you into it by default without telling anyone...

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 15 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Great. So now Facebook can become a literal ghost town.

I wonder how advertisers paying for ads on Facebook feel about paying to advertise to dead people?

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I don't care how advertisers feel. I've been telling them for decades that their ads have zero effect on me. That it just pisses me off.

When I go into a grocery store, I have a list. If it's not on that list, I'm not buying it. The list was prepared weeks ago, and added as I run out of things. Doesn't matter if you show 100 ads. I'm not paying attention. Even though you paid money to show the ad, I still didn't see it. What difference does it make if I'm alive? Either way I didn't see the....uh.....what were you selling again? It was a commercial for Jesus? See, this just shows how little I pay atttention to ads. I saw the superbowl, and I'm fairly sure one of the commercials was for Jesus. I'm unclear how one would buy Jesus, but that was the ad.

Tell ya what advertiser industry. I'm going to do your job for you. I'm going to make sure every single person pays attention to every ad you ever put out. Are you ready for this? Here we go.

The screen fades in from black to a closeup of some tittys. They're bouncing around, and women are moaning. Then they start moaning "OOOOOHHHH, YEEEAAAAHHHH BUY OUR PRODUCT, BUY THE PRODUCT! OOOOHHHHH!"

Remember, tittys are still bouncing. You put the product in the center of the screen.

You just made a billion dollars!

[–] Flagstaff@programming.dev 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Doesn’t matter if you show 100 ads.

The average person has less self-control than you, sadly.

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

Being influenced by ads is not some moral failing.

I really doubt people who think they have some special willpower to resist advertising. Advertising isnt simply "go buy this particular thing". Brand recognition alone is very powerful.

The person you replied to thinks their shopping list is somehow immune to advertising, i highly doubt it. The lack of self awareness makes me think they are MORE susceptible to ads than the average person.

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[–] AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 13 points 2 weeks ago

Gotta keep those engagement numbers up.

[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

There are like three episodes of Black Mirror about this.

[–] veeesix@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Sounds like I’ll need to include account deletion as a part of my will.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 12 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

It's cute how you think deleting your account will stop them.

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[–] electrotabby@piefed.social 4 points 2 weeks ago

I deleted (not deactivated) my account back in 2014. In 2022 I tried logging in and found my profile exactly as I left it, nothing gone...

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is dumb and fucked up, but I also look forward to the AI analog for @SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world constantly following up its own posts with apologies and banning itself.

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If you ban yourself too often you’ll go blind which is why I never have.

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[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Let those bot accounts sign up for credit cards, see how fast they get shut down

[–] artwork@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Oh no no no no no...
Please, God, Gods, or whoever, no...

I absolutely don't want my descendants to talk with some void-empty limited bloody-meatground utter nonsense... I don't want that freaking awful mess of terribly limited data to talk with my children or their children possibly framing and damaging their true memories and genuine confidence in me I had been developing the whole life... I don't want them to remember the algorithm or some imitation of me talking with a machine or some chat bot... no... never... please no... PLEASE NO...
No...
No...
Never...
No...

Some limited inhuman stupid chat/voice/avatar/anything bot? No...
Some bot that may erroneously represent me behind my back?
Never...
Some nonsense that may reshape memories of my ancestors?
No...
Never...
No...

If I am dead, I am dead. I want my descendants to just remember me, talk to me in their memories, real videos, audios, and photos, my effort, my ideas and love in artwork if ever they'll be interested... and once in a while visit the grave, at least 2-3 times per their life, if ever possible... and that's it...

If I am dead, I am dead as my ancestors are, who are not dead for me being alive but in my memories or something more magnificent/supernatural, and how I remember them, where they wanted to be the best they could, respected, glorified, and admired, without disturbing them in memories, soul, and the heart they gifted me, who I will always appreciate, respect, and love...

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Because of course they did. Not only did they think this was a good idea, they patented it! Ghouls.

[–] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe they can get Epstein's account back in action

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[–] Pratai@piefed.ca 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If you still have e a Facebook account, you fully support this.

[–] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I fucking wish. If I delete insta, facebook and whatsapp, I cut 99% of friends, my family and my wife. I can probably delete FB and insta, but whatsapp is like impossible to get rid of. Everyone is on it.

Maybe in future EU moves to something else, then deleting would be possible. But as of now, it is not.

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[–] MurrayL@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

I do not want to see Weekend at BernAI’s.

Fuck cuckerberg.

[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

Can't wait for Zuckerberg to start using it.

[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Imagine how many AI-written patents are being submitted everyday.

And it seems like the patent office just approves whatever comes in these days without even looking at it, they just hope the courts will sort out any conflicts.

Bye bye patent system. Have a cool idea you want to patent? Too bad. It was already patented word for word by some company using AI to churn out patents made up of every conceivable word combination in the English language.

[–] deltaspawn0040@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 weeks ago

Get grieving relatives hooked on talking to bots, then sell them subscriptions to keep the bots running

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

We are going to need a lot of new laws to stop nonsense like this. There is nothing positive to come from faking humans that are dead.

[–] Crunch@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

What a great use of resources. Also, it seems like it borders on identity theft.

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[–] Antaeus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

That is messed up on an entirely different level.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago

American lives matter: They maintain premium ad rate DAUs for Meta. Some anti-business commies will consider this in bad taste, but in addition to Meta DAUs, supporters of Zionist supremacist rule over the US, should also be able to keep voting. Pro business zionists need this technology to keep the right people immortal, or Iran wins.

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