Comment by xyzzy123

I really enjoyed the exploration of this premise in the novel "Kil'n People" by David Brin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiln_People

The premise is quite similar to "uploads" except the device is a "golem scanner", which copies your mind into a temporary, disposable body. Different "grades" of body can be purpose made for different kinds of tasks (thinking, menial labour etc).

The part that resonates with your comment is around the motivation of golems, who are independently conscious and have their own goals.

In the novel, some people can't make useful golems, because their copies of themselves don't do what they want. There's an interesting analogy with self control; that is about doing things that suck now, to benefit your future self. This is similar, but your other self exists concurrently!

Key to the plot though is the "merge" step; you can take the head of an expiring golem, scan it, and merge it's experiences with your own. This provides some continuity and meaning to anchor the golem's life.