ABSTRACT
We conducted a survey experiment in the US to analyze how the consent or dissent of a deceased individual influences the social acceptability of digital resurrection. The results showed a substantial relative treatment effect of consent versus dissent, with a 2-point difference in acceptability on a 5-point scale. When the deceased had consented, 58% of respondents viewed digital resurrection as socially acceptable, whereas this number was only 3% when the deceased had dissented. These findings suggest that relevant legal regulations should respect the decision of the deceased. Our study then explored the optimal default rule using observational research: 59% of respondents were against the idea of their own digital resurrection. An opt-in rule seems socially desirable, where the default is the prohibition of digital resurrection, and exceptions allow it only with consent from the deceased.
Iwasaki, Masaki, Digital Cloning of the Dead: Exploring the Optimal Default Rule (December 27, 2023). Forthcoming, Asian Journal of Law and Economics.
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