Around a third of Volga region residents ready to pay to create their digital copy

MWS AI (part of MTS Web Services) conducted a survey to learn how residents of Tatarstan and other regions feel about creating their digital copy. More than half of respondents in the Volga region are willing to create a digital copy, mainly to be there for loved ones after death. Compared with the national indicator, the willingness to create a copy during life is slightly higher in the Volga Federal District. Most respondents believe this technology should be regulated by law.

Digital copy is an AI-generated virtual image of a person that reproduces speaking style, manner of communication and other distinctive traits, and can interact with people on the person’s behalf, including after death. Creation can use chats, voice recordings, photos, videos, social media posts, documents and other data forming a person’s digital footprint.

Key survey results from MWS AI:

55% of Volga region respondents would create their own digital copy during their lifetime.

32% would create a copy for their loved ones so as not to leave them alone.

26% would talk to a deceased person’s digital copy without any caveats.

20% would allow such communication only in the first years after the loss.

Regulation and consent:

44% believe the creation and use of AI copies of the deceased should be regulated by law.

37% think lifetime consent from the person while alive is sufficient.

9% support a complete ban on the technology.

10% believe no regulation is necessary.

When choosing between forgetting and moving on versus preserving the copy, 51% prefer forgetting and moving on, 32% would rather preserve the copy.

Financial aspects:

15% would create their copy for money; 8% for personal immortality.

45% would not do it.

27% are willing to pay for a copy.

14% would pay a one-time fee, 9% would subscribe monthly, and 5% would bequeath part of their estate to maintain it.

25% would create the copy for free; 48% are not willing to spend anything on it.

The survey included more than 1,000 residents of Russian cities. The Volga region’s responses nearly mirror the national picture, with differences not exceeding three percentage points on any question. Slightly higher in the region is the willingness to create a copy during life (55% vs 53% nationwide), and slightly more residents in the region consider lifetime consent sufficient (37% vs 35%). The call for regulation by law appears at about the same frequency as in Russia overall.