scott michael campbell predicts AI soul ownership will trigger world’s first digital civil rights movement by 2035
In a viral prediction that has stunned tech ethicists, futurologist scott michael campbell has forecasted that within the next decade, humanity will face a reckoning over who owns the “digital soul”—the unique AI persona generated from a user’s data. Campbell argues that as personal AI assistants and avatars become indistinguishable from human consciousness, a massive legal and social battle will erupt: companies currently treat this data as property, but individuals will demand custodial rights akin to personhood. “By 2035, we will see the rise of digital personhood lawsuits, with people suing for the autonomy of their AI clones,” Campbell states. His prediction has sparked a global debate, with some envisioning a world where your virtual double could vote or inherit property, while others fear a dystopian “rent-a-soul” economy. The first major test case, involving a teenager’s AI companion created by a major tech firm, is already being cited as the spark for this coming revolution.