Fancy being a Digital Undertaker? It might sound far-fetched now, but the future job market is shaping up to be wilder than you think. With technology evolving at breakneck speed, the jobs of 2050 could look very different from anything we’re familiar with today.
Think about it: our digital footprints are growing exponentially. As our lives become increasingly intertwined with the digital world, we’ll leave behind a vast amount of data – photos, messages, social media accounts, digital assets – even after we’re gone. What will happen to all that information? Will it simply disappear, or will we need someone to manage it?
This is where the Digital Afterlife Manager comes in – one of many jobs that don’t exist yet, but may well become essential in the coming decades.
The Digital Afterlife: A New Reality
By 2050, our digital lives may outlast our physical ones. As our online presence grows larger and AI technology advances, it’s possible that our digital selves could continue to “live” long after we’re no longer here. Digital assets, like NFTs or cryptocurrency, could be as valuable as physical possessions, and a huge percentage of our memories and experiences will be stored online.
In this world, someone will need to take charge of what happens to our virtual selves when we pass away. Enter the Digital Afterlife Manager.
What Does a Digital Afterlife Manager Do?
A Digital Afterlife Manager will be responsible for executing a person’s digital wishes after they die. Just as a traditional executor handles a person’s physical estate, this role will focus on managing the deceased’s online presence and digital assets.
Here’s what their job might involve:
- Executing Digital Wishes: Some people may want their social media profiles deleted, while others may choose to remain “alive” in the form of an AI avatar. The Digital Afterlife Manager will ensure these wishes are carried out.
- Data Privacy and Security: The Digital Afterlife Manager will navigate the complex world of data privacy, ensuring that sensitive information is kept secure after death, and that the digital legacy is protected from identity theft or misuse.
- Interactive Memorials: With advancements in AI and VR, it’s possible that we’ll see the rise of interactive, AI-powered memorials, where loved ones can engage with a digital version of the deceased.
- Managing Rights to Digital Assets: From social media accounts to digital currencies, the Digital Afterlife Manager will need to handle the legal and ethical issues surrounding ownership and inheritance of digital assets.
- Family and Estate Coordination: Just as an estate manager might work closely with family members, a Digital Afterlife Manager will need to coordinate with loved ones and estate executors to ensure that everyone’s wishes are respected.
A Day in the Life of a Digital Afterlife Manager
So, what might a typical day look like for a Digital Afterlife Manager? Here’s a glimpse:
- Counselling Families: Offering guidance to families about digital legacy options, whether that involves preserving a loved one’s social media presence or deleting it entirely.
- Right to Be Forgotten Requests: Navigating legal requests to remove someone’s digital presence, in line with global privacy laws.
- AI Avatars: Managing AI avatars for those who wish to maintain an interactive online presence even after death.
- Digital Asset Management: Dealing with the legalities around digital assets, such as transferring ownership of cryptocurrency or managing rights to a personal brand.
- Securing and Archiving Data: Ensuring personal data is safely archived, while also handling requests for data deletion where necessary.
- Collaboration: Liaising with organisations to ensure the deceased’s digital identity is either discontinued or utilised in accordance with their wishes.
The Skills Needed
Being a Digital Afterlife Manager isn’t just about understanding technology – it requires a unique blend of skills, including:
- Cybersecurity Expertise: Keeping data safe and managing privacy in an increasingly complex digital world.
- Knowledge of Digital Estate Laws: Understanding how to legally manage digital assets, intellectual property, and online accounts.
- Empathy and Communication: Helping families through what is often an emotional process, while also making complex digital decisions easier to navigate.
- AI and VR Knowledge: As AI-powered memorials and virtual environments become more prevalent, technical know-how will be essential to managing these future technologies.
The Challenges
Managing someone’s digital legacy is bound to be a complex job. There are several unique challenges that a Digital Afterlife Manager might face, including:
- Balancing Competing Wishes: It’s possible that the deceased’s wishes may conflict with the desires of their loved ones. For example, a family might want to preserve a social media profile, while the deceased requested its deletion. Navigating these situations will require tact and sensitivity.
- Ethical and Legal Complexities: The legal landscape surrounding digital assets and data privacy is evolving rapidly, and the Digital Afterlife Manager will need to stay on top of these changes while ensuring ethical considerations are met.
- Emotional Toll: Dealing with death is never easy, and working closely with families in grief, while managing sensitive digital legacies, could be emotionally taxing.
- Keeping Up with Technology: As AI, VR, and digital asset management tools advance, the role will require continuous learning to stay ahead of new developments.
The Future of Work is Digital
The job market of the future is going to look radically different. The rise of the Digital Afterlife Manager is just one example of how technology will create new roles and responsibilities we can’t fully imagine today. As our digital lives become just as valuable and meaningful as our physical ones, it’s only a matter of time before managing our digital afterlife becomes a reality.
While the thought of such a role may seem futuristic now, by 2050, we may wonder how we ever managed without it.
