The recent report by The Wall Street Journal on the phenomenon of "AI Digital Twins" signals a significant shift that could redefine labor, management, and the very concept of human existence in the AI era.
Just a few years ago, AI was limited to tasks like summarizing documents or drafting meeting notes. Now, executives at some global companies in the U.S. are training AI on their emails, speeches, interviews, lectures, podcasts, and management philosophies to create digital avatars that closely resemble themselves. These AI digital twins are not mere chatbots; they can answer questions from team members, provide leadership coaching, assist with performance evaluations, and even deliver speeches at international conferences.
A notable example is Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, who operates an AI called "Reid AI" that has been trained on his writings and speeches from the past 22 years. This digital twin has conducted over 75 lectures and presentations since 2024, introducing itself in 74 languages, including French, Chinese, and Hindi, and engaging in real-time Q&A sessions with audiences at the Dubai International Conference.
This scenario is not just a technological event; it signifies a fundamental change in the concept of human productivity. In the past, an individual’s labor and knowledge were confined by physical and temporal limitations. No matter how exceptional a CEO might be, they could not work more than 24 hours a day. However, in the era of AI digital twins, one person's experiences and knowledge can be infinitely replicated and operate simultaneously in numerous locations.
This could represent one of the most significant changes in the concept of labor since the industrial revolution. Just as the steam engine expanded human muscle, AI digital twins extend human intellect and judgment. While personal computers revolutionized document processing and calculations, digital twins are entering a phase where they replicate human thought and decision-making itself.
Bala Sathyanarayanan, Chief Human Resources Officer at U.S. industrial packaging company Greif, reports that his AI twin, "BalaBot," has already interacted with over 3,300 employees. Workers consult the AI on sensitive issues like managing underperformers and career development. Some employees credit AI-recommended coaching strategies for their growth into leadership roles within the organization.
This marks a highly symbolic change. In the past, a company’s core assets were factories and capital. Later, data and platforms became key assets. Now, the experiences and know-how within organizations—essentially, the humans themselves—are being transformed into digital assets. Ultimately, the competitive edge in the AI era may hinge on "who has successfully digitized superior human knowledge assets."
However, this raises complex ethical and philosophical questions. Who owns the digital twin? If an employee leaves the company, does their AI counterpart leave as well, or does the company retain ownership? Moreover, what happens if a company decides to lay off human employees and retain only the AI counterparts?
In fact, intense debates are already underway within U.S. companies. Some employees express discomfort, stating, "I don’t like that my emails and thought processes are all being fed into AI." There are also potential legal issues if AI conveys incorrect hiring guidelines or makes distorted decisions. The phenomenon of AI "hallucination," where AI generates inaccurate information, remains unresolved. For instance, Reid AI provided a different answer to a question about favorite ice cream than the actual Reid Hoffman would have given.
Ultimately, AI digital twins are likely to be used as tools for human enhancement rather than complete replacements. In other words, AI does not eliminate humans; it reallocates their time. Routine tasks and everyday interactions can be handled by AI, allowing humans to focus on more creative and strategic areas.
AI digital twins could also be a crucial solution in aging societies. In countries like South Korea, where rapid low birth rates and aging populations are prevalent, the loss of experienced veteran workers upon retirement poses a significant challenge. However, AI twins can preserve decades of on-the-job experience as digital assets. The skills of manufacturing artisans, the reporting expertise of journalists, the clinical experiences of doctors, and the educational philosophies of teachers can be passed down to future generations in digital form.
The potential for utilizing digital twins is particularly significant in the media and broadcasting sectors. If AI learns the writing style, logical structure, interviewing techniques, and reporting philosophies of veteran journalists, it could lead to groundbreaking changes in training junior reporters and improving article quality. If AI can replicate the speaking style and analytical approach of economic anchors and the logical frameworks of international affairs commentators, the media industry could enter an entirely new phase.
Application Potential and Future Directions for Korean Companies
Korean companies are already beginning to prepare for the era of AI digital twins. Samsung Electronics is enhancing personalized AI assistants through AI semiconductors and on-device AI technology, while SK Hynix is entering the next-generation AI infrastructure competition based on AI servers and HBM memory.
Additionally, platform companies like Naver and Kakao are attempting to expand the corporate AI agent market based on Korean-language specialized super-large AI. In the future, we can expect the emergence of AI digital twin services that learn the expertise of corporate CEOs, executives, sales professionals, financial analysts, journalists, and legal experts, moving beyond simple AI chatbot capabilities.
For instance, in manufacturing, AI could learn the know-how of skilled technicians to diagnose production line issues in real-time. In finance, AI could learn the consultation patterns of veteran private bankers to provide customized asset management services to clients.
In healthcare, AI twins could accumulate the diagnostic experiences of renowned doctors to reduce disparities in medical services. The same applies to the media sector.
AI trained on the analytical styles of international relations experts could analyze significant trends such as the U.S.-China power struggle, Middle Eastern geopolitics, and the AI industrial revolution in real-time, providing readers with deeper insights. Ultimately, future competitiveness will depend not on the quantity of articles produced but on how effectively human insights and experiences can be digitized.
However, Korean companies must adhere to three essential principles. First, the human-centered principle: AI should be used as a means to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. Second, the data sovereignty principle: ownership and compensation structures for individual employees' knowledge and experiences must be clearly defined. Third, the ethics and accountability principle: humans must bear ultimate responsibility for AI's decision-making errors.
Digital twins are poised to become the norm. AI is now entering a stage where it creates a "second self" for humans, moving beyond being a mere search tool or automation device. When combined with agentic AI, which can make decisions, plan, and act independently, the pace of change will accelerate. As AI takes over repetitive tasks, humans will likely be liberated from many of these duties.
As a result, humans will have more time for strategic thinking, creative activities, and living fulfilling lives. Physical fatigue will decrease, and mental stress may also be alleviated. AI digital twins could serve as tools for a civilizational shift, returning to humans the time for "rest" and "reflection" beyond mere productivity innovations.
Ultimately, the key issue is not the technology itself but what kind of civilization humans will create through AI. The true winners in the AI era will not be the countries with the fastest machines but those that deeply understand the harmony between humans and technology.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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