Dubai employees could soon have AI digital twins, conference hears

A growing reliance on artificial intelligence may soon result in digital replicas of employees in workplaces, potentially reshaping job roles and intellectual property rights, a Dubai conference was told.

This is one of the predictions in Gartner’s top trends for AI, which were revealed during a panel session at the AI Assembly on Monday, one of the events being held for the Dubai AI Week until Friday.

Joe Youssef Malek, vice president for executive programmes for the Gulf, India and emerging markets at the American research and advisory company, said their research showed that digital twins of employees could be a reality by 2027.

“We expect, with time, a digital AI image of yourself. So, imagine me talking to you right now while my AI avatar is having a different discussion with somebody else,” Mr Malek told The National on the sidelines of the conference. “But this persona comes with different implications for intellectual capital, royalties, on your AI image and it could actually impact your brand. So, moving forward, yes, you should expect in your corporate contract to have more terms about your AI persona and about your avatar intellectual.”

AI technology capable of creating advanced avatars that mimic real people, using facial mapping, voice cloning and behavioural data already exists. Companies like Synthesia, for example, allow users to create realistic video avatars of themselves that can speak several languages and be used for presentations, customer service and corporate training.

Mr Malek said the technology may allow a person to essentially be in two or more places at once, virtually.

The avatars would be trained on an individual’s personal data, habits, decision-making patterns, and communications history, creating a sophisticated digital version of that person.

This means the digital twin would be able to act semi-independently, conduct meetings, respond to queries or manage basic tasks.

Commercialising human identities

While AI personas could offer better efficiency and productivity, critics are concerned about the consequences of licensing and commercialising human identities.

Dr Patrick Noack, executive director of future foresight at the Dubai Future Foundation, said at the conference that the idea of outsourcing oneself to an AI entity could blur the boundaries between reality and replication.

“I think the question is if you start licensing your persona and licence the history of the persona, the way they have been acting, the way they have been deciding … you are licensing individuals’ histories,” Dr Noack said.

“I am an individual. I have my own beliefs and ways of thinking, my own principles. Now that gets outsourced and digitalised to a digital persona, which is a carbon copy, so to speak, of everything that consists of me online and in that digital format. So, who am I? Am I the digital persona? Am I the in-real-life persona?”

Dr Noack also warned of trafficking of digital avatars on the dark web. “If someone, in an entity, owns me, what does that mean? How does that make me feel good? I, ultimately, am in that kind of space going forward. And do I need to be employed by anyone else if that digital persona is going to be sold on the black market for a few Bitcoins?” he said.

An emerging AI generation

Another finding in Gartner’s research warned of a growing risk of AI addiction, particularly among younger generations who are growing up with generative tools embedded in their daily lives, from homework, relationships to decision-making.

“AI is now part of our daily life, our society and the new generations are going to use AI everywhere,” said Mr Malek. “It’s like part of their lives. So, this could create an addiction.”

While older generations may find AI tools intimidating, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are already adapting to a world in which AI is just another form of interaction, like texting or gaming.

“AI is now part of our daily life, our society and the new generations are going to use AI everywhere, so, this could create an addiction,” said Mr Malek. “But this addiction could change depending on the generation. Our generation might have a different perspective on that and might need some support, whereas the newer generation might be so comfortable in AI because it's part of their daily life. They would feel that this is quite normal.”