A person encounters his digital copy – and thus himself. With the support of ETH researchers, an the actor Basian is virtually cloned in an experiment and is confronted with fundamental questions about his own identity.

In the documentary film ‘My Avatar and Me’, Swiss actor Bastian Inglin is digitally cloned. His face, voice and facial expressions are reconstructed, as are his character traits and biographical details. This is made possible by state-of-the-art technologies at ETH Zurich. But soon it is no longer just a technical mirror image. The digital copy could be more beautiful, more confident and more controlled than the original. If he wanted, Bastian could even make himself immortal. But is that really what he wants?

The documentary film by Daniel von Aarburg and Patrick M. Müller accompanies Bastian in an open experiment with researchers at ETH Zurich: how far would he go if he could design himself as he wished? And what would he learn about his own identity in the process?

The result is surprising even for Bastian and confronts him with fundamental questions.

My Avatar and Me demonstrates how strongly AI-based technologies have long been influencing our perception of ourselves. What happens when we start to improve our digital selves, possibly at the expense of our own identity?