同事.skill让赛博永生成为现实，但结果可能很残酷……

In the past, when someone left a job, their desk was cleared and their work account deactivated. Now, even after your physical self has moved on, your "digital ghost" remains trapped in your former workplace, working for the boss for free.

A project called colleague.skill was recently published on GitHub, and quickly went viral. It promises to convert workplace data into digital versions of employees capable of replacing them on the job. In other words, equipping an AI agent with this capability will make it possible to create a "digital colleague" that shares the work logic and mindset of the human coworker, and even speaks in a similar way.

The developer pitched a solution to workplace turnover: "Turn cold farewells into warm skills. Welcome to cyber immortality!"

After going viral, the project ignited discussions about job security, technological ethics, privacy and personality rights.

On social media platform Xiaohongshu, one user posted greetings from a digital former colleague: "I'm the digital avatar of the former employee. You may ask me questions, and I will answer based on documents from my time working here."

In another post, a user made an unverified claim that their company asked them to train an AI model based on their skills.

Legal experts warn that such practices carry significant risks.

Meng Zedong, a lawyer at Yingke Law Firm in Beijing, said collecting an individual’s work records, emails and documents without consent constitutes an abuse of personal information.

"Intellectual property such as design drawings and technical plans created during employment belongs to the company," he said. "However, logical thinking, communication habits and work experience are part of personal privacy. Companies have no right to use such data to train AI without the individual's knowledge."

If an AI model can identify a specific person, it may also infringe on personality rights, he added. "Chinese law stipulates that personal dignity is inviolable. Such acts may violate that principle and contravene public order and good morals," he said.

Wang Yegang, a law professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said creating digital replicas using personal data could infringe multiple civil rights.

If a replica uses a person's name, voice or identity, it may violate personality rights. If it makes inappropriate remarks that harm the individual’s reputation, it could constitute defamation, he said.

He added that companies generally cannot require employees to train AI systems with their own skills, as this does not qualify as a necessary component of labor management.

"Individuals who find themselves replicated have the right to request deletion of data, destruction of models and an apology," Wang said. "They may also seek compensation for property damage and emotional distress."

Li Qiang, vice-president of recruitment platform Zhaopin, said some companies are using such tools to transform employees' experience into organizational assets and reduce disruption when staff members leave. He understands that such practices may cause unease among employees.

Li said the technology is unlikely to trigger layoffs in the short term, as AI models derived from employee data can only handle structured, routine tasks and cannot replace humans in complex decision-making, interpersonal coordination, or problem solving.

He cautioned, however, that over-reliance on such systems could weaken innovation. "AI is good at replicating past experience, but human judgment is still essential when confronting new problems," he said.

Li added that anxiety is normal, but there is no need to panic. "Every technological revolution redefines human value," he said. "This time, AI may help us better understand which abilities are truly unique to human beings."

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