Somewhat. It's very likely digital resurrection - even with a vast amount of stored data and DNA - will never be possible, keeping it in the realm of science fiction.

On the other hand, we all slowly march toward our deaths. So some people are storing data, for that tiny chance of being brought back. That part isn't fiction.

Whether there’s an invisible “spark” missing is a metaphysical question, not a technical one. Some people believe consciousness exists separately from the brain (dualism). Please read up on dualism vs. materialism and make up your mind.

Or - you can treat it as uncertain. If it’s 50/50 whether the brain creates consciousness, then your overall odds of digital resurrection are - by that estimate - only cut in half.

That said, if it's possible to reconstruct you precisely, including the internals of your brain (to a great extent), then it may indeed still be you. You also change over time. Compare your current self, a digitally resurrected “you,” and who you were five years ago. The resurrected version might match your current self closely (perhaps perfectly?), beating out the real you from five years ago.

Please see:

FAQ: How can one test if digital resurrection truly means continued life?

Not satisfied? A staunch dualism supporter? Come discuss it in the Ankh Discord.

Up to you. Our suggestion:

When your time is nigh, don't dilute it with that glimmer of hope. Assume digital resurrection won't work out and this is the end. Experience the peril and gloom, the inevitability: whether Ankh works or not, it could be your last chance to experience death.

The revived self would probably feel like they have a continued consciousness and be quite happy to exist, in any case. Whether doubt follows will depend on your personality and convictions.

The more important question is: would you, today, see that future you as genuine (or adequate) continuity? Hopefully, if resurrection is being done, then the far future civilization or entity will have a well-understood (and positive) answer to this question.

Imagine that in the future people can avoid death by digitization. Perhaps people are born as usual but can take a pill every day that gradually replaces neurons with identical yet mechanical ones, over many years. When fully replaced, their mechanical brain can be digitized as needed. Or - imagine there's a very precise scanner that can make a perfect digital, functional copy of a person's brain.

Then, for the sake of experiment, a far future volunteer (test subject) uses an app like Ankh. Then they also undergo the known-to-be-perfect digitization process.

Soon after, they are ALSO recreated via a digital resurrection process from the collected Ankh data and their DNA, much like you, perhaps, could be.

With that setup in place, please consider these scenarios for testing if Ankh based digital resurrection is accurate enough:

If personality is directly quantifiable from brain scans:

... then the known-to-be-perfectly digitized version of the test subject and the Ankh digitally resurrected version can be compared and assessed for fidelity directly via scanning their (possibly mechanical) brains. If this comparison is done for many test subjects, a clear measure of how accurately Ankh-based digital resurrection works can be painted.

If personality is not directly quantifiable / comparable:

... then perhaps it can be assessed in simulation. Many copies of the known-to-be-perfectly digitized test subject and Ankh digitally resurrected version can be placed in simulations to gauge their long and short term behavior (certainly, this is morally questionable, even with volunteers). Even biological person's behavior varies based on small perturbations (like "woke up on the wrong side of the bed"). If the digitized versions' behavioral variations statistically match that of the known-to-be-perfectly digitized versions' variations - then the Ankh digital resurrection process may be deemed accurate.

Continuity of consciousness, regardless:

Finally, perhaps you are interested in continuity of consciousness arguments, like most users. In a far future civilization, if "resurrection from backup" or any form of personality transmission (like to a distant star) is performed, it won't be viewed as "death." It could be argued that such a far future civilization's wisdom is greater than our own on matters of consciousness. From our 21st-century perspective, we then assign a probability whether such a wise, far future civilization will exist, with such beliefs and capabilities. It's similar to the "teletransportation paradox" - is the person who comes out of the spaceship transporter device the same person that went in elsewhere?

Yeah, it's hard to say. We've attempted to guess what's the bare minimum.

See: FAQ: How often and for how long do I need to use Ankh?

While we've got your attention, please keep in mind you don't have to answer every question, discuss every memory, or record everything you do while using Ankh. Gaps in data, as well as data loss, are inevitable.

If digital resurrection is possible, there may simply be a tipping point where enough data is gathered to reconstruct your personality super accurately. Then, adding more data simply adds to how many memories are preserved. Whether this point exists and how much data is enough - hard to say. Probably more than just DNA and a "which superhero are you" personality quiz. Probably.

Because the odds of success are so small, digital resurrection will likely be regarded as a curiosity. On a positive note, self-reflection may become more common. More negatively, the pursuit of digital resurrection can become a selfish activity, causing individuals to withdraw.

A great outcome would be hopes of digital resurrection causing enthusiasm for working towards a prosperous and benevolent far future human civilization - even if only to "selfishly" increase one's odds of digital resurrection. A pact between individuals today and a distant tomorrow they are founding.

Possibly digital resurrectees would be ostracized. But, hopefully, they would not be terminated or systematically disadvantaged, since they're still valid people, just different than the originals.

If new revivals stop, however, people may miss out on loved ones being revived. This would likely still sting, even to an imperfect replica.

Or, you know, they (we?) might get hunted like animals.

It's unclear what the view on suicide will be in the future. A valid personal choice? Treatable illness? Perhaps a choice only a super-adult can make after they're 100 years old?

If it's the valid personal choice scenario, then it could be seen as an "opt-out" and no attempt to recreate you will be made. Since we can't anticipate this, there's a question in the Ankh to help resolve this - it asks whether the event of your apparent suicide should or should not be interpreted as a sign of refusing digital resurrection.

In any case, please go get some help. Don't kill yourself.

If you find religion / spirituality, you should probably leave a note in Ankh that you're opting out of digital resurrection. Or leave it in the hands of the future civilization or entity to decide if it was nonsense.

Or is your question: if God, gods, demigods, or masters of this reality literally show up - or undeniable proof an afterlife is found - will the project be cancelled? Well, at that point it may be up to the pertinent deity, or inexorable spiritual thread made manifest, to decide.

Furthermore, Ankh offers no guarantee of aiding or abetting a rebellion against such a force majeure, fighting to digitally resurrect our users in spite of supernatural beings (or similar). Likely it would be unnecessary, unless it's a way to postpone being sent to some guaranteed super-hell.

Make sure to state your preference inside Ankh: that you refuse to be revived into suffering.

Whether that choice would be respected is another matter. Scenarios like a restrictive / totalitarian life, cruel punishments / torture, a life devoid of purpose or meaning, unfathomable longevity-induced depression, being forced to remain alive, outright slavery, and other issues conceivable if the project succeeds.

These outcomes are, however, far-fetched. Who would spend the vast resources to digitally resurrect someone like you, probably mundane and forgotten about, into a world of pain? There are more efficient ways to be spiteful. Digital resurrection is perhaps far more likely under an, at worst, indifferent yet curious civilization or entity.

One scenario is you'll be a blur, in personality and physically, of the last few years of your life, depending on how rich your data input is.

Likely you won't be stuck at this age. The far future's capability to bring you back necessitates mastery of biology. Gradual or fast body-age adjustment would likely be available.

On the other hand, perhaps the best that can be done is to bring you back at a VERY young age, e.g. as a ten year old. It may be necessary to stop before many formative life experiences, because it may be impossible to "lock on" to some later facets of your personality. If being brought back in a younger form with parts of your older personality undeveloped is unacceptable, make sure to note it in the app.

Who knows?

It's unclear what moral framework will be prevalent - if you're brought back at all.

Some thoughts about a possible digital resurrection future - it seems likely that:

* There would be resource abundance (how else would they afford to bring people back?)

* Individuality would be valued (why bring back people if they're considered boring, same-y?)

If those hold true (assuming digital resurrection happens at all), then it's possible your individual preferences (such as gender) will be accommodated. Almost certainly, the technology required to change gender - in both body and perhaps mind (?) - is child's play compared to the complexities of digital resurrection.

Also consider this: the odds of any digital resurrection happening to you are very, very small. The additional "luck" needed for your gender to be eligible for modification would be negligible.

Or perhaps only those with "gender dilemmas" are resurrected... to eternally punish them or keep them cruelly bound to this mortal plane. As was mentioned: who knows?

It may be offensive to some religious communities for their practitioners to use Ankh. Furthermore, one who is religious or spiritual may be working against their best interests by using Ankh: spending time on a foolish attempt at digital resurrection takes time away from getting the best afterlife, enlightenment, etc.

So as the app says, if you're spiritual or religious, please don't use Ankh.

To rephrase: should you romantically pursue other people or wait for you both to be digitally resurrected?

Don't be silly. Live your life like Ankh won't work (or simply doesn't exist). If you buy a lottery ticket today, you wouldn't change your lifestyle in anticipation of having millions tomorrow.

Well, theoretically not forever. It seems the laws of physics prevent anything lasting forever - at least on unimaginably long timescales, way past the lifetimes of stars or even most black holes.

More pertinently, 21st century technology is enough to let your data live super long. Long enough to allow a far future civilization or entity to digitally resurrect you.