This was also the premise of the Battlestar Galactica prequel "Caprica." The father of A.I. created a digital copy of his recently deceased daughter based on her digital trail from life. The copy struggles with her existence in an artificial environment, initially being unaware she was in one. It was interesting how they tied her existence into the eventual rise of religious monotheism and the emergence of the Cylons. Underrated show.
Did he though? I thought the digital copy of the daughter was already in that digital world, and her still-living friend had to take him to meet her in said world? I think what he eventually did was transfer digital her into a physical Cylon body. Been a while since I watched though, could be wrong.
That's the way I remember it too, so you may be right. I remember being shaken by the first time she realizes she can't feel her own pulse in the simulation, then starts to panic and have an existential crisis on the realization of what she was. It was kind of horrifying but also humanizing too.
