Living in the Age of AI

We live in an era where Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be taking over. AI has many pros and cons that will both help and hurt our government and society. 

The age of AI creates total surveillance of all aspects of life. Surveillance is now in bedrooms, kitchens, and homes which is terrifying for many reasons. The trust in technology that people now have is dangerous and gives too much power to larger tech companies by allowing them to know too much information. For example, about 70% of households in America have an amazon echo speaker. That is a huge number compared to previous years. This speaker is a form of AI and constantly listens to whatever is happening in your home. The speaker actually has the ability to pick up on tiny signals which help to analyze behavioral patterns. The tone and rhythm of someone’s voice are monitored and all information and stored and analyzed. All information is important no matter how small and can be used to determine future behaviors and interests. 

Author Amy Webb speaks on smart speakers and explains how they are trained to understand in real-time. Smart speakers use the information gathered to make predictions about you and your future. The speakers pick up on things such as sneezing and coughing to make assumptions. Webb explains the larger issue of how we believe we are in charge of these speakers telling them how to help us, but we are not. They are able to gather intimate and detailed information and build an understanding of our personalities. 

This is a huge issue when it comes to security because there is no longer any privacy even in our own homes. AI has created an entirely new world that can be helpful in making our lives seem easier and safer, but in reality, a lot of AI can become harmful and create a world where we are no longer in the power of our own lives and have no privacy. 

EOTO Reaction

There were many different concepts presented throughout the EOTO presentations. One specific concept and invention that has already begun to change our world drastically is machine learning. 

Machine learning goes along with artificial intelligence as well as deep learning. They combine in order to create Artificial Intelligence (AI). Machine learning allows a computer to develop its intelligence through monitoring and understanding past algorithms and statistical information in order to expand its knowledge and predict/ create future algorithms and data. 

The idea of machine learning allows a computer to continue to grow on its own without the interference of a human. Machine learning allows for many new technologies to come about and allows for humans to do less within the technological industries. The idea is that the technology will have the capability to “think” and problem-solve as a human would. 

When learning about this technology I felt that there were many great positive aspects to machine learning, but there are also many negatives. Some positive aspects include that this technology is able to transform the world as we know it and can work with a wide variety of applications. Machine learning easily identifies trends and patterns using a computer which means much fewer mistakes and no human error. When looking for different trends they will be found faster and improvement

on different issues will be occurring continuously. The factor of efficiency is also important when looking at machine learning because there is no way a human would be able to look at such a vast amount of information and one time.

On the other hand, machine learning has some negatives. It is a scary thought to allow technology to have a “brain” of its own. Machine learning takes away from many job opportunities because machines will be able to replace jobs such as factory workers, delivery services, etc. There are also some legal issues with machine learning because if there was an error, who would be at fault?

Altogether, machine learning is beginning to become very prevalent in our society and can be very helpful, but we must also be aware of the negatives and how it can harm society. 

TED Talk - Blog #8

One main issue discussed is privacy and the idea that your life online is as permanent as a tattoo. Everything that is shared online is permanent and can never be reversed. Once something has been posted it is important to understand that the information you have shared now has the ability to reach thousands of people. This can easily affect me and my family and friends because we live in a digital world today. This means that everyone is constantly sharing everything about their life, from what they ate for breakfast to where they went on vacation. This is a huge privacy issue because everyone is giving so much information to so many people. In many cases, people may believe that they are sharing this information only with “friends”. In reality, this information is being put into the online world and many more people than just your “friends” can easily gain access. This can become dangerous if personal information gets in the hands of stalkers, scammers, or other bad people. It is also essential to understand that everything that is done online can be traced. This means that an employer will be able to go online and do a quick search of your name. That is why it is important to keep your profiles clean and appropriate in order to reduce the risk of unwanted embarrassment in the future.

Moving forward, the government cannot always do much about these privacy issues. These are privately owned social media companies and each consumer has the right to p
ost as they please and what they please. With that being said, it is important for the consumer themselves to put in place certain protocols in order to protect against the invasion of privacy. As social media users, we can monitor our profiles to ensure only people we know are viewing our information. We can also monitor what we are posting and how often we are posting. It is not necessary to post everything we do throughout the day. Another way to ensure privacy is to never use “geo filters” or “geotags” because they allow others on the internet to be able to see your location which, of course, can lead to potential danger. 

Altogether, the world of social media can be a scary place and it is important to understand how to monitor yourself and ensure that you are sharing and posting responsibly.