Omar Hamdy arrives home after a hard day at the office. What a lot of complaints from from his boss! Still, it was better than being told off by his old headmaster. Thank goodness Mr Gaber has been dead for 20 years! But then he hears a familiar voice: "Hamdy! Come here!"

He turns around, and there is Ghastly Gaber - or at least an avatarAn icon or figure representing someone online. of him. "You are late again, Hamdy," it says. "I shall have to think of a suitable punishment."

A scene like this could become real, thanks to a project called AugmentedIncreased in size or value. Eternity. It aims to build digital versions of people that will survive for ever.

It began with Dr Hossein Rahnama thinking about all the data people leave on social media. He wondered if it could be used to teach AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  to give answers like theirs.

Rahnama started to get emails from people keen to pass on their thoughts after death. Some were dying and wanted to create a legacy for their loved ones.

He is now working on digital versions of 25 people. These could take the form of either chatbotsA chatbot is a computer programme that simulates human conversation or "chatter" through text or voice interactions. or 3D avatars.

Digital immortality is not a new idea. In 2000, American inventor Raymond Kurzweil said that scientists would be able to scan and upload the human brain by 2030.

In 2015, Russian computer expert Eugenia Kuyda created a chatbot to give answers like a friend of hers who had died.

But these projects could have nightmarish results. Suppose Kim Jong-unThe leader of North Korea since 2011. was still tormenting the Western world in 100 years time. Or that today's comedians were still on tour and telling the same old jokes.

There are some very complicated questions to consider. Lawyers might argue about who owns a dead person's avatar and can make money out of it.

And some people worry that having an avatar to talk to would make it harder to get over the person's death rather than easier.

Yes: We have quite enough to deal with in everyday life without people giving us their views from beyond the grave. There should be a law enforcing digital "death" after 200 years.

No: It would be a wonderful thing for future generations to have a strong picture of their ancestors and what they thought about the world. It would add a whole new dimension to human life.   

Or... This is a much better approach than biological attempts to attain immortality, such as cryogenicsA technique for freezing a person's body in the hope of later bringing them back to life.. Avatars would not take up space on our crowded planet and should be strongly encouraged.