Microsoft’s patented artificial intelligence that allows you to speak to the dead

In early January, they appeared Microsoft’s new patent information. According to the documents, the company wants to create an AI-based chatbot that reflects the personality of the deceased. The patent application is called “creating a chatbot for a specific person”.

Microsoft has already obtained approval for such a patent, but according to information now provided by the head of Amnesty International at Redmond, there are no plans to use it yet. The creators of the idea are Dustin Abramson and Joseph Johnson Jr. The documents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2017. However, the patent was only granted this month.

Microsoft’s Tim O’Brien commented on the matter in a Twitter post. He claims that there are no plans yet to develop such artificial intelligence, or at least he has not heard of such a project. He added that the idea was very disturbing. At first glance, this may be the case, but there are several advantages to this solution.

Yes, I see, don’t worry. However, he emphasized that there is no plan for that. But if I get a job writing for the Black Mirror, I’ll know to go to the USPTO website for story ideas.

Tim O’Brien (_TimOBrien) January 22, 2021

The digital persona will be created on the basis of data collected from voice and text conversations conducted on the web. It’s about social media, instant messaging, discussion forums, and emails. Based on them, the nature of the digital person will be determined, and the AI ​​will make sure that chatting with him resembles a conversation with a real person. It is also possible to create a 3D hologram.

Some people are comparing Microsoft’s patent to an episode of “Black Mirror” – now back. “The main character is unable to come to terms with the loss of her boyfriend who died in a car accident. Finally, technology allows her to recover and at some point it doesn’t really need an artificial friend. In fact, Microsoft’s AI can work in a similar way.

For the elderly or lonely, this solution can help fill a painful void. However, it should be noted that Microsoft does not reserve this solution only for the deceased. We can make a digital copy for each of us if we only use the right amount of data.

According to current information, the service will operate in the form of a subscription. This, in turn, means that we can be associated with the digital persona for a limited period of time, making it easier to deal with losing the person. But at the moment we cannot talk about the details, because the representatives of Microsoft themselves admit that they know nothing about the project.