WE ARE APPROACHING a turning point in artificial intelligence (AI) development. As computers become increasingly omnipresent, and as algorithms grow uncannily precise, concerns mount—what are the undesirable consequences of AI?
Privacy—Or The Lack Thereof
AI is the epicentre of modern mass surveillance. While technology and the fight for privacy rights are historically intertwined, the recent implementation of AI systems in government and private platforms has accentuated the threat it poses to our right to privacy and, by extension, our autonomy.
With machine learning and big data, computational systems now possess the ability to actively draw inferences from a user’s digital footprint. Even if personal information is deliberately held back, traces of data—be it from social media platforms, Google search histories or even fitness trackers—can be cross-fed to form a frighteningly multi-dimensional snapshot of a user. The question arises: Who has access to this data, and more importantly, what do they do with it?
