Rob Pue
Technology can be dangerous. We know our phones listen to us, even when we’re not using them. Have you ever had a private conversation with your spouse while driving in your car, and by the time you get home, you find advertisements for things you spoke about privately in your email inbox, popping up on YouTube or social media sites? That’s not a coincidence.
Our phones are also watching us. Unless you’re savvy enough to turn off permissions for your built-in camera, numerous apps will take advantage of the opportunity to read your facial expressions, watch what you’re doing while browsing the internet, and watch your reactions to articles you may read or videos you may be viewing. These things also monitor and track our internet activity; capture our voices and even home videos we take at family gatherings and vacation trips.
All this information is being stored and archived somewhere, creating massive data bases on every user, then creating algorithms to feed us news, advertising and information based on our interests and activities. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is not a simple modern “convenience,” it’s a massive intrusion of our private, personal lives, and unless you know how to disable some of these cell phone features, you’re exposing your personal, private information to the World Wide Web “internet of things.”
And some of the apps available for download also take the liberty to invade your private space, then exploit it for profit. And most people tacitly agree to that, because just like the phone itself, they never bothered to read the User Agreement. Even apps you’ve downloaded, but barely ever use, can be harvesting your personal information in the background — quietly, stealthily.
I could go on about the internet, SMART phones and the like, but this is horse-and-buggy technology now. Now, the trend is Artificial Intelligence, and I really had no idea just how scary this stuff is or how quickly it’s taken off.
A recent study from the UK found that 64% of children, ages 9-17 have used AI “chatbots,” with many interacting with them daily. What are these “chatbots” used for? Among other things, schoolwork, advice seeking, and (believe it or not), companionship. This study found that most children are viewing “chatbots” as quasi-human and trustworthy, and many of these are on platforms not designed for their age group, which lack adequate age checks and content moderation. And half of those surveyed — 50% — say they’d rather interact with an AI entity than a real human being. This should concern us all.
This is a virtual world of delusion, but it appears very real. So real, in fact, that it’s often difficult to tell the difference. AI platforms can replicate real living people. Using AI, you can input images of real people, voice samples and videos, and then AI can generate an image of that person and have them do anything the operator wishes. In many cases, these AI “avatars” can’t be differentiated from the actual real people. This is dangerous. Nefarious actors can now upload captured images of you, audio samples of your voice and video samples of your body movements and then create scenarios showing you doing and saying things you’d never say or do. Unwitting people have already put all the needed tools out there on social media sites for others to grab what’s needed to do this.
I also recently read about an AI platform that brings back loved ones who’ve passed away. By uploading the required graphics and information, people can create a virtual person, who’s no longer living. You can’t tell the AI-generated “avatar” apart from your lost loved one. And it’s interactive. You can hold conversations with that person, ask their advice and talk about the old days. This is too close to bordering on demonic for me.
The latest craze is people who are now preferring relationships with AI “avatars” over real living people. In doing my research, I found more AI apps to download than I could count that feature an alternative to dating, marrying or having a real-life relationship. People using AI can now create the dating partner or spouse of their dreams. Some of these apps create “avatars” that look like cartoons, but most now feature virtual “people” than can’t be differentiated from real people.
The latest craze is people who are now preferring relationships with AI “avatars” over real living people. In doing my research, I found more AI apps to download than I could count that feature an alternative to dating, marrying or having a real-life relationship. People using AI can now create the dating partner or spouse of their dreams. Some of these apps create “avatars” that look like cartoons, but most now feature virtual “people” than can’t be differentiated from real people.
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