Meta invents LLM system that lets dead people continue posting from beyond the grave
The dead internet gets a whole new meaning with tech that gives users the ability to posthumously simulate themselves using AI.
Meta wants to give its loyal users the ability to continue posting on social media even though they have shuffled off this mortal coil.
Machine has dug out a patent for a system which could enable users of Facebook and other platforms to train a large language model on their content and interactions with other people so it can post when they're busy or dead.
"The language model may be used for simulating 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," Meta wrote.
Metal applied to patent the tech in 2023 and details of its invention were published yesterday.
The "I see dead people" system takes a pre-trained language model and then feeds it training data based on users' interactions.
It is then put to work "generating responses on behalf of the user in response to content items posted by other users".
What sort of dead person wants to write social posts?
Meta envisages power users deploying its HelLLM technology posthumously to fill the void left by the silence of the tomb or the distractions of a packed diary.
It wrote: "A user may be absent from the social networking platform for long period of time, thereby affecting the user experience of several users on the social networking system.
"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."
And how do you make people feel better about their loved one or friend dying? Get an LLM to pretend to be them so a fake version of their personality can enjoy a kind of eternal life.
Pretty dark.
The technology is disturbing for two reasons. Firstly, it has clear links to the concept of the dead internet in which real people have disappeared from online communities to be replaced with bots.
And do we really need the dearly departed to continue sharing hot takes whilst their body lies cold in the ground? We think not.
If you've expired or are otherwise engaged, we think it's totally acceptable to take a break from social media.
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