Hong Kong teen battling rare disease creates AI avatar to ensure his story lives on

A Hong Kong teenager with a rare muscle-wasting disease has created an AI version of himself, hoping the digital twin can continue sharing his life story and message of perseverance even after he is gone.

Chen Tsz-kin, 17, unveiled “AI Tsz-kin” at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on Sunday, weeks before his 18th birthday – an age the student said he had long feared reaching because he was once told it was the average life expectancy for people with his disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“Life may come to an end, but through different means, AI can allow [my message] to continue,” he said. “Even if one day I am no longer here, I just hope people remember the spirit behind it.”

Tsz-kin was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was just 1½ years old.

The progressive rare and deadly condition causes muscles to weaken over time, and he now uses a wheelchair, wears a back brace and relies on a breathing machine at night.

Even so, he has spent much of his childhood pursuing experiences that might have seemed impossible, including travelling to the Kyrgyz highlands, completing a 100km desert expedition with support from volunteers, paragliding and diving.