What happens when an AI-generated person gets an official identity?

China is trialling identification cards for AI “digital humans” complete with a name, birthday, address and facial features. It sounds futuristic, however the technology is already deeply embedded in everyday life.

According to ABC News, digital humans are being used across broadcasting, livestreaming, e-commerce, entertainment and government services. The Chinese market was estimated at $10 billion in 2025, with at least 1.3 million companies linked to the sector.

One virtual influencer, Yuri, has even performed for thousands of fans, despite never having been born.

And there is another intriguing development: some companies are reportedly offering everyday people up to US$20,000 to license their identities for digital human productions.

So where does identity end and technology begin?

University of Melbourne AI ethics expert Dr Jeannie Paterson told the ABC:

“It has no moral sense, at least at the moment, of right and wrong.”

She says digital identification could provide a way of tracing wrongdoing back to the company responsible for creating the digital human.

But cybersecurity expert Lennon Chang raises another concern:

“They would definitely come with a chilling effect.”

For GreyMatter, there is a bigger question here.

While we spend a lot of time talking about identity as we age ie who we were, who we are now, and who we are becoming, what happens when our face, voice, personality or identity can be licensed, replicated and given a digital life of its own?

Perhaps the question isn’t simply Can AI create a human?

It’s: What is it about being human that cannot be replicated?

Source: ABC News, China moves to register AI digital humans as sector attracts more than 1.3 million companies, by Kristina Bai and Bang Xiao, 7 October 2026.

Read the full ABC News article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-07/china-trials-identity-card-for-ai-digital-humans/107232848