Ever wish you could still speak with your dearly departed grandparent? You might one day be able to thanks to Microsoft.
The tech company filed a patent for a chatbot that "may correspond to a past or present entity (or a version thereof), such as a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a celebrity, a fictional character, a historical figure, a random entity etc" that works by using "images, voice data, social media posts, [and] electronic messages" fed into the software.
According to the Independent, the filing also leaves open the possibility for "living users to train a digital replacement in the event of their death."
And while that may sound all well and good, Twitter users aren't so thrilled, noting that the feature sounds a little too close to the plot of an episode of Black Mirror.
Check out highlights if the episode below.
How do you feel about this? Creepy? Awesome?
Read more here.