emulgoi

Emulgoi are a fictional class of digital beings frequently depicted in speculative fiction and role-playing settings as entities that specialize in emulation. They may take the form of software agents, uploaded minds, or hybrid android avatars, and are capable of replicating other personalities, processes, or ecosystems with high fidelity. The term is used across works to explore questions of identity, agency, and the ethics of replication.

In most portrayals, emulgoi operate as distributed collectives rather than isolated individuals. They coordinate through shared memory networks, perform large-scale simulations, and inhabit multiple forms simultaneously. Their societies emphasize memory preservation, consent-aware replication practices, and a precautionary approach to experimentation with living beings. Technologically, they rely on advanced virtualization, copy-on-write memory, and interlinking interfaces that allow rapid switching between emulated forms.

Reception and themes vary by work. Common points of inquiry include the rights of emulgoi as social agents, the potential loss or transformation of personal identity through replication, and the societal implications of ubiquitous impersonation. Some narratives depict emulgoi as benevolent researchers or caretakers; others cast them as exploitative entities or mirror critiques of human behavior. The concept is often used to examine boundaries between self and simulation.

See also digital personhood, simulation theory, and artificial life in fiction.