The biggest problem that I see with this line of tech is that it could be used to take advantage of grieving people at their most vulnerable. There is a real danger in this from companies who profit off grief and death. But I think the most disconcerting thing about the tech is that it's going to get so good that it would be easy for a living person to become dependent on it. Addictive in the extreme. Can you imagine losing your wife or long-time girlfriend, and then having a digital representation to console you after their death? I'm not sure if in your grieving state you would even care that it's fake. You would just go to it, because it's better than the void they left behind for you in their death.

Now that I've gone and said the scary part out loud, the advantages to this tech are also very inviting. Having a "digital encyclopedia" of a person for future generations is absolutely incredible. Archiving our lives through interviews is a great idea, especially for those not prone to talking much about themselves. I would absolutely love to get to know my great grandmother more - she was a pioneer and an amazing woman. We have a book about her put together by family, but not much else.

One other aspect is that the digital self is only as good as the original self keeps it up to date. Old entries from someone that only get seen 10-20 years after they die are not a realistic picture of that person if they stopped or slowed updating in later years of their life.

All in all, I think the advantages could outweigh the disadvantages - but strict boundaries and guardrails need to be in place along with the tech so that people in their worst moments aren't taken for a ride.