Title Ethics of ‘digital duplicates’ or AI simulations of real people: towards an international consensus
Authors Hurshman, Clint Edward ; Voinea, Cristina ; Constantinescu, Mihaela ; D’Alessandro, William ; Feroz, Faisal ; Hongladarom, Soraj ; Jurčys, Paulius ; Kozlovski, Atay ; Lange, Benjamin ; Liu, Pengbo ; Menikoff, Jerry ; Nyholm, Sven ; Puzio, Anna ; Schwitzgebel, Eric ; Sharma, Bhavya G ; Sweeney, Paula ; Vică, Constantin ; Weissglass, Daniel Elliot ; Zahiu, Anda ; Savulescu, Julian ; Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter ; Porsdam Mann, Sebastian ; Earp, Brian D
DOI 10.1136/jmepb-2025-000054
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Is Part of JME Practical bioethics.. London : BMJ Group. 2026, vol. 2, iss. 3, art. no. e000054, p. 1-18.. eISSN 3049-8600
Abstract [eng] Digital duplicates (DDs), or artificial intelligence (AI) simulations of individual minds, are AI models designed to emulate real people. Depending on how they are trained, DDs can reproduce aspects or signs of a person’s psychology, values and communication style, enabling interaction with digital approximations of living, recently deceased or historical individuals. Proposed uses include education, advocacy, grief support, medical decision-making and the continuation of creative or personal projects. While potentially valuable, these applications also pose ethical risks such as privacy loss, misrepresentation, manipulation and the erosion of authentic human relationships. This paper argues that DDs should be treated as context-specific tools rather than general-purpose technologies. We outline a two-tier ethical framework grounded in considerations of harm and proportionality, supported by the values of information permission, transparency, authenticity and appropriate access. The framework unites diverse moral concerns under a single framework while allowing their relative weight to vary across domains such as medicine, education, memorialisation and entertainment. By situating ethical evaluation within a harm-reduction approach that is sensitive to context, we offer a practical basis for the responsible development and governance of human-emulating AI systems.
Published London : BMJ Group
Type Journal article
Language English
Publication date 2026
CC license CC license description