AI-Based Reconstruction from Inherited Personal Data: Analysis, Feasibility, and Prospects
It addresses the problem of preserving intellectual legacy for researchers and organizations, though it is largely conceptual and incremental in applying existing AI methods.
This study investigated whether AI could create an electronic copy of a deceased researcher by training on their personal computer data, finding that approximately one million words of text are sufficient to fine-tune models like GPT-4 to replicate writing style and expertise with high fidelity.
This article explores the feasibility of creating an "electronic copy" of a deceased researcher by training artificial intelligence (AI) on the data stored in their personal computers. By analyzing typical data volumes on inherited researcher computers, including textual files such as articles, emails, and drafts, it is estimated that approximately one million words are available for AI training. This volume is sufficient for fine-tuning advanced pre-trained models like GPT-4 to replicate a researcher's writing style, domain expertise, and rhetorical voice with high fidelity. The study also discusses the potential enhancements from including non-textual data and file metadata to enrich the AI's representation of the researcher. Extensions of the concept include communication between living researchers and their electronic copies, collaboration among individual electronic copies, as well as the creation and interconnection of organizational electronic copies to optimize information access and strategic decision-making. Ethical considerations such as ownership and security of these electronic copies are highlighted as critical for responsible implementation. The findings suggest promising opportunities for AI-driven preservation and augmentation of intellectual legacy.