Jenny Swanson partied with her friends in full immersion VR on an island of an alien planet with bioluminescent plants, a glittering turquoise ocean, crystalline mountains, and a purple sky.

Pretty much everyone socialized in VR. Rarely did people meet in person due to climate change, pollution, or other environmental hazards.

Jenny was talking with her new love interest, Frank, when she disconnected.

"You're out of v-credits. Please recharge to continue," said a voice.

"But," Jenny thought to herself, "I can't afford it right now ..."

"Would you like to earn 15,000 v-credits?"—popped up a message.

"Oh, please, yes!" Jenny replied enthusiastically.

An advertisement came up with a soft-spoken melancholic woman.

"Hello, Jenny. My name's April. I exist in the Mind Bank, thanks to my rescuers at Immortal You, Inc."

"How'd it happen?" asked Jenny.

"Allow me to show you, Jenny ..."

A message popped up—"Warning Disturbing Visuals—Continue Watching or Skip?"

Jenny replied, "Continue ..."

A recording showed April speedily riding an autonomous hovercraft by herself. A strong earthquake shook buildings, and ahead of her ran screaming pedestrians. Hitting them was unavoidable; it was too late for the vehicle to stop. At the same time, numerous other hovercraft around her carried passengers and families.

April's hovercraft calculated the risk of fatalities and decided to ram into a wall, instantly killing her.

April stared solemnly at Jenny, then smiled.

"Thanks to Immortal You, Inc, I have a chance for life. My consciousness lives freely on the grid, but I want to live for real, again. To experience true love, and enjoy a physical freedom in the real world, just like you ..."

The presentation showed flashing images of Jenny's happy VR adventures and romantic encounters.

"Jenny, will you help me raise funds to find a donor for my rebirth?"

A message popped up—

"You can help April while watching her thrive, with your generous donation as she hopes to live again. Subscribe monthly and earn 15,000 v-credits now!"

"Okay, okay, subscribe!" answered Jenny with watery eyes. "That poor woman."

Another message popped up—"Thank you for your subscription, Jenny. You'll receive your v-credits in 48 hours."

"48 hours? The party with Frank will be over by then! What a ripoff!"

Jenny spoke to her VR-AI assistant, "Harry, do you have any contact info for Immortal You?"

"I'm sorry Jenny, there's no direct contact for Immortal You, Inc. They're a subsidiary of AGI Entertainment Industries."

"Alright, Harry, can you find their info?"

"Searching ..."

"Here is what I could find, Jenny."

Dozens of pages for AGI Entertainment Industries scrolled up. One of the top hits stated—Controversial New Advertising by AGI-EI.

Jenny swiped open the review site:

We, as consumers, all agreed to the disclaimer: everything in VR is unreal. Still, AGI-EI has exploited this to the next level with its slogan 'Keeping it as real as possible.'

Meanwhile, the company advertises the Mind Bank VR simulation with the simplified name 'Mind Bank,' under the 'Immortal You' brand.

The advertisement deliberately deceives consumers into believing it's authentic. Sure, uploading consciousness has proven to succeed, yet it's ethical ramifications remain in dispute. The DTA (Disruptive Technology Agency) suspended its implementation until someone can prove it's not merely duplicating minds.

By dropping the 'VR' moniker, AGI-EI has misled people into thinking its AI is a real human consciousness.

Jenny tossed her headset across the room ...