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Study "Ethics, law, and security of digital afterlife" published
Orig. title „Ethik, Recht und Sicherheit des digitalen Weiterlebens“
New technologies such as AI enable people to live on after death in the form of digital representations (avatars) or chatbots. The digital afterlife industry, which offers such possibilities, is developing into a promising growth market. ATHENE researchers in computer science and law at Fraunhofer SIT and the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) at the University of Tübingen have analyzed the technical, legal, and ethical challenges of this development. In their study “Edilife – Ethics, Law, and Security of Digital Afterlife,” they provide a systematic overview of digital afterlife. The study can be downloaded free of charge here: www.sit.fraunhofer.de/edilife-studie.
In their “Edilife” study, the researchers identify critical aspects of IT security in the generation and operation of digital avatars, ranging from voice simulation to the imitation of individual behaviors. The study recommends specific security mechanisms to protect personal data and strict regulation of avatar functionalities. Transparency and disclosure requirements are proposed for service providers, particularly with regard to data processing during avatar generation. The study, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, also calls for special legal protection for bereaved individuals who use these technologies.
More about this study in the Fraunhofer SIT press release
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