Clones in the Machine: A Feminist Critique of Agency in Digital Cloning

Abstract: This paper critiques digital cloning in academic research, highlighting how it exemplifies AI solutionism. Digital clones, which replicate user data to simulate behavior, are often seen as scalable tools for behavioral insights. However, this framing obscures ethical concerns around consent, agency, and representation. Drawing on feminist theories of agency, the paper argues that digital cloning oversimplifies human complexity and risks perpetuating systemic biases. To address these issues, it proposes decentralized data repositories and dynamic consent models, promoting ethical, context-aware AI practices that challenge the reductionist logic of AI solutionism