The rise of digital twins: Your AI-driven alter ego in the virtual world

The future of personal and professional interaction is about to be redefined, not by robots or flying cars, but by something more personal and intelligent: your digital twin.

Once confined to the realms of industrial engineering and simulation, digital twins have evolved dramatically. Today, the term refers not just to a virtual model of a machine or system, but to an AI-driven counterpart of a person.  That is a living, breathing reflection of your goals, personality, habits, and professional aspirations, powered by data and refined by intelligence.

Imagine attending a major international exhibition in Dubai or Riyadh. Every delegate is assigned a digital twin; not just a static profile, but a fully functional AI-powered avatar that knows who you are, what you want, and who you should meet. Instead of navigating crowds and booths at random, your digital twin connects with others on your behalf in the background, establishing meaningful connections, filtering out noise, and surfacing only those introductions that could lead to real opportunities.

At the heart of the digital twin revolution lies hyper-personalisation. But this isn’t personalisation in the old digital marketing sense.  No more “Hi Mohammed, we thought you’d like this.” Instead, it’s about giving your digital twin enough contextual awareness and decision-making intelligence to act as your proactive agent..

Think of it as a digital concierge, business development manager, life coach, and data analyst rolled into one, with the ability to interact with other twins to negotiate introductions, flag opportunities, or even handle routine conversations.  The benefit is that this makes your time much more effective for what you spend your time on, but more importantly, how effective your time investment is.  Your digital twin will free up your time to focus on what matters most.

One of the most exciting applications of digital twin technology is occurring in the media and broadcasting sector. OTTRED, a global professional community for people working across streaming, broadcasting, and the wider OTT (over-the-top) media landscape, is preparing to introduce digital twins for each of its premium members across 65 countries.

These twins will be integrated into the OTTRED app, giving each user a constantly learning AI version of themselves that becomes smarter with every interaction, not only inside the platform but more importantly beyond in real interactions. Members will not only be represented in a network of over 1,900 peers but will be empowered to discover opportunities, collaborations, jobs, and content aligned with their preferences, ambition, and expertise.  Their digital twins will be working on their behalf even while they sleep.

By aggregating behaviour patterns, stated goals, and past interactions, these twins can surface connections and insights that might otherwise go unnoticed. For instance, a twin might identify that a content strategist in Berlin is searching for regional OTT partners in the Middle East and initiate a connection with a producer in Dubai who recently launched a niche Arabic streaming channel. In doing so, the twin becomes a force multiplier, exponentially increasing the reach and relevance of each member.

As digital twins become more prevalent, they may even an essential layer of our online professional and personal identities effective. Just as email and LinkedIn redefined how we interact professionally, digital twins could become the new interface for high-value exchanges.

This evolution also introduces the concept of “ambient networking.” Rather than passively waiting for introductions, your twin actively scouts on your behalf. At live events, it might tap into a secure network of other twins to find complementary profiles. In community platforms, it can surface relevant conversations and learning resources. Over time, it learns your pace, tone, tolerance for meetings, and long-term goals, behaving less like a bot and more like a super-efficient version of you.

Of course, this brave new world comes with important questions. How do we ensure privacy and security? Who owns your digital twin? You, the platform, or the developer? How do we prevent misuse or bias in AI matchmaking?

As with all emerging technologies, frameworks for transparency, consent, and control must evolve in parallel. But the upside potential is enormous: a more efficient, connected, and insightful way to operate as professionals, entrepreneurs, and humans.

Digital twins are no longer the stuff of science fiction.  They’re a rapidly emerging reality. Whether used to transform exhibitions, enrich professional communities like OTTRED, or personalise how we work and connect, they promise to unlock a new era of intelligent, proactive digital engagement.

In the coming years, we may find that the most powerful conversations we have and the best decisions we make do not begin with us but are initiated by our digital twins starting the dialogue.