Technoethics of Digital Life and Afterlife: A Mini-Case Study Review and Analysis

Case Study: Veneration Avatars

Veneration avatars are digital doppelgängers of deceased individuals that can be used to interact with the living. They are created using a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deepfake technology. Veneration avatars can be used to create realistic and engaging experiences for mourners, such as holding conversations, sharing memories, and even providing comfort and support.

Technoethical Analysis

Veneration avatars raise a number of technoethical concerns, including:

• Consent: Who owns the data that is used to create a veneration avatar? Does the deceased have a right to consent to the creation of their avatar? What happens to the data after the avatar is created?
• Authenticity: How can we ensure that veneration avatars are authentic representations of the deceased? What are the risks of creating avatars that are too realistic or that misrepresent the deceased in some way?
• Grief exploitation: Could veneration avatars be used to exploit grieving individuals? For example, could companies charge exorbitant fees to create or maintain veneration avatars? Could avatars be used to sell products or services to mourners?
• Digital afterlife: What are the implications of creating digital afterlives for our understanding of death and dying? Could veneration avatars lead to a blurring of the lines between life and death?

Ethical Guidelines

In order to address the technoethical concerns raised by veneration avatars, it is important to develop ethical guidelines for their creation and use. These guidelines should focus on the following principles:

• Consent: The deceased should have the right to consent to the creation of their veneration avatar. This consent should be informed and voluntary.
• Authenticity: Veneration avatars should be authentic representations of the deceased. This means that they should be created using data that is accurate and representative of the deceased’s life.
• Transparency: The companies that create and maintain veneration avatars should be transparent about their practices. This includes disclosing how they collect and use data, and how they protect the privacy of users.
• Accountability: Companies that create and maintain veneration avatars should be held accountable for their actions. This means that they should be subject to oversight and regulation.

Conclusion

Veneration avatars are a new and emerging technology with a number of potential benefits and risks. It is important to carefully consider the technoethical concerns raised by this technology before it is widely adopted. By developing ethical guidelines for the creation and use of veneration avatars, we can help to ensure that they are used in a responsible and beneficial way.

In addition to the technoethical concerns listed above, it is also important to consider the potential impact of veneration avatars on society as a whole. For example, could veneration avatars lead to a more death-obsessed culture? Could they make it more difficult for people to move on from grief? These are just some of the questions that we need to grapple with as we continue to develop and deploy this technology.