Near-term ethical challenges of digital twins

In ‘Represent me: please! Towards an ethics of digital twins in medicine’,1 Braun analyses the potential for simulations human organs and bodies, or ‘digital twins,’ to faithfully a person. Drawing from several French philosophers, he introduces ‘first conditions take on ethically justifiable form representation’.1 The analysis predominantly focuses challenges that arise terms representation, embodiment, control by patients after which twin is modelled. Many are posited existence as autonomous technologies capable acting behalf patient. One may be reasonably sceptical about achieve twins’ near future; author, his credit, acknowledges this fact section ‘Simulating precise efficacy’ while still providing faithful overview nascent field development. Given state development described paper, risk future seems remote. There two clear ethical risks which, my reading, deserve more attention than they receive Braun’s analysis. Let us refer these ‘near-term’ twins, sense their significance does not turn degree agency embodiment but rather mere …