{"id":604712,"date":"2026-04-13T19:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T19:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604712\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T19:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T19:30:12","slug":"ai-worker-cloned-from-real-employee-sparks-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/604712\/","title":{"rendered":"AI \u2018worker\u2019 cloned from real employee sparks backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Chinese gaming company has sparked public debate after launching an artificial intelligence<\/a> \u201cemployee\u201d based on a former human resources specialist, raising questions about data use and worker rights.<\/p>\n

The system is modeled on a former employee known as \u201cXiao Yu,\u201d who agreed to the use of a digital version of her persona as part of an internal experiment, according to local reports.<\/p>\n

The AI \u201cemployee\u201d is designed to perform basic workplace tasks, including offering advice, sending invitations and generating simple presentations and spreadsheets. The former employee described the idea as \u201cquite amusing,\u201d while the company said the tool remains limited and not yet practical for real working conditions.<\/p>\n

Still, the creation of a digital human triggered a wave of reactions on Chinese social media. Some users said the project blurs the line between people and workplace tools and risks further objectifying employees. Others viewed it as an early example of \u201ccyber immortality,\u201d where a person\u2019s professional traits continue to exist after leaving a job.<\/p>\n

The case also raised questions about whether companies should be allowed to profit from employees\u2019 accumulated knowledge and personal data, even with initial consent.<\/p>\n

The state-run Securities Times described the project as part of a broader trend in developing AI \u201cworkers\u201d aimed at preserving institutional knowledge after employees depart. The system was reportedly trained on professional materials produced during the employee\u2019s tenure, including workplace interactions and internal documents.<\/p>\n

Critics said that if AI systems are built on an individual\u2019s work style, communication patterns and outputs, companies should consider royalty or compensation models for ongoing commercial use. Some also warned that allowing digital replicas to be shaped by subjective descriptions from colleagues could reduce workers to \u201cfunctional modules\u201d that can be copied.<\/p>\n

Legal experts said data related to employees\u2019 behavior and communications \u2014 including chat messages, emails and work habits \u2014 is considered personal information under China\u2019s data protection laws. Using such data to train AI systems without explicit consent could violate those rights.<\/p>\n

Even when data is created in the workplace, experts said it does not automatically grant companies the right to replicate a system reflecting an individual\u2019s personality or style without separate, compensated permission.<\/p>\n

Labor researchers and worker advocates noted that power dynamics in the workplace can complicate the notion of consent, with employees potentially feeling pressured to participate in such initiatives. They also raised concerns about accountability, warning that errors made by a digital replica linked to a real person could harm that individual\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n

The debate extends beyond the specific case. AI agents capable of operating continuously and performing routine tasks are drawing growing attention in China, where they are seen as having the potential to boost productivity, while also raising concerns about data security and the risk of personal or financial information leaks.<\/p>\n

Experts cited in Chinese media have suggested including clauses in employment contracts requiring the deletion of personal data after employment ends or, alternatively, obtaining separate, compensated consent for its future use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Chinese gaming company has sparked public debate after launching an artificial intelligence \u201cemployee\u201d based on a former…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":604713,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-604712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/604713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}