In today’s modern society, our real life activities, expressions and thoughts are increasingly captured electronically. In our public life we publish photos, videos, bookmarks, calendars and blogs. In our private life we interact with doctors, teachers and traders. We write personal diaries and treasure photos of our family. However life unfolds, a collective “digital fingerprint” is created which carries an immense and unique insight into who we are.

How we are remembered and understood goes significantly beyond our digital fingerprint, it is more than an autobiography, synergy is at play. Information about us can be connected, inferred and mapped. Imagine how much information can be captured, say, over 20 years. Or how our opinions change over time. Such depth is surely more than a finite number of pages in a book, it is more than sequential.

And then we die and all is lost.

It is ironic how information technology has transformed our lives and made family research easier, yet it’s a sad truth to say, our loved ones die and often their passwords to a valuable digital vault are lost forever. Think. Do your loved ones know where and how to retrieve your photos? Do you have a personal diary locked away? How about the websites you enjoy or your personal thoughts on many subjects? To your future generations it’s a lost heirloom, something which could give them immense insight and a sense of belonging. There is a solution but first a little history.

In 1950 Alan Turing introduced a concept which became known as the Turing Test; a challenge to determine if an entity is human. In modern times this is more relevant than ever as we battle against computer programs attempting to mass create service accounts and identities. Then in 1966 Joseph Weizenbaum wrote a computer program called Eliza. Eliza challenged the Turing Test by posing as a psychologist. Although very simple in modern terms, Eliza was partially successful in convincing users a real person was remotely chatting to them.

Consider where we are now. Google didn’t simply popularise search engines, they made Artificial Intelligence sexy; the ability to second-guess a user’s query and return quality results with a little inspiration thrown in. No Turing Test needed, yet how long before the search box becomes a conversation? Now take this technology and plug it into someones entire digital life. Take a lifetime of diaries, notes and presentations. Take their emails and photos, their education and health, their voice and opinions. Now join-the-dots and imagine an artificial intelligence mining and responding to your questions. Get answers to questions which were never asked. Have a conversation with their virtual DNA. Resurrect the virtual dead.

Within 10 years a new breed of service will emerge allowing people to create biographic legacies. These services will take their lead from current vanity services such as blogs and photo sharing. They will allow us to recreate and explore endearing spirits of our loved ones. Crucially, these services will differ in their legal status, privacy and security; effectively becoming extensions of a legal will. Eventually, these services will allow us to collate and store information from many sources including banks, doctors, schools, cameras, diaries and so on. Despite the apparent contradiction, anonymity may also be a feature for some of these services.

Why will these biographic services emerge? Consider some of the challenges an individual might face to build a biographic legacy:

• How, what and where to store information safely.
• Finding the time to build their biography / will.
• Guidance or inspiration e.g. check lists and prompts.
• Technical assistance e.g. how to sign / date stamp their work.
• Unwinding the full potential e.g. a contextual search which understands the links between separately stored pieces of information.

As you can see, a fast, simple and inspirational solution is needed. My vision is a personal, private, secure and legally executed documentation system. This system would encapsulate a range of tools for the creation and update of a biography and will. The biographical tools would, of course, include storage space for photos, videos etc.

Over time, the user would build up the knowledge base. For example, when the user signs in they could be prompted for their thoughts on a current event or asked open and closed questions; what are their thoughts on abortion? - how do they get to work? - are they feeling optimistic? Nice touches could include, for example, a talking clock using a client’s voice.

This living biography is a natural progression of the will, a valuable resource to a person’s heritage, safely and securely managed within a legal framework.

Every generation brings along at least one family member keen to discover their ancestors, these people are naturally curious and would be inclined to use such services. However, given the success for online services such as blogging, photo sharing etc, I would suggest this type of product opens the door to a much wider audience. A service with a potentially low churn and significantly long term client retention. Remember this is a service which, depending on the model adopted, can deliver services to all family members long after they have passed away. There are also significant opportunities to sell related services such as census records and certificates.

Q. What’s to stop someone independently collecting and documenting their family history?

A. Piece of mind, knowing your research and writings are safe with the very people who will eventually pass your work onto loved ones.

Q. So this would be a hosted service?

A. I think this is primarily a hosted service, however, I think an offline version could easily be offered too. An offline version would appeal to those on a budget or those with concerns for privacy.

Q. Someone could create a blog and leave their passwords etc in a will.

A. Most online services provide no guarantee of backups and there are no clear paths to ownership and execution of someones wishes to inheritance.

Q. This is not the sole territory of a legal firm.

A. True and the business model adopted is open to analysis. As a business you may choose to collaborate with existing services or build in-house. Keep in mind, there is significant opportunity for cross-selling.