Is AI really just surveillance disguised as a helpful tool? According to Signal president Meredith Whittaker, that seems to be the case. In a recent interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, Whittaker argued that AI is inseparable from the big data and targeting industry, which heavily relies on surveillance. She believes that AI is a way to entrench and expand the surveillance business model.
Whittaker pointed out that AI itself is also surveillant. Facial recognition cameras, for example, can capture data about individuals and make determinations about their emotions and character. This data is then marketed to those in power, such as employers, governments, and border control, to shape individuals’ access to resources and opportunities. It’s a system that can have significant implications for people’s lives.
Interestingly, the data that powers these AI systems is often organized and annotated by the same workers who can be affected by the technology. Whittaker highlighted the reliance on human labor to inform the ground truth of the data, often at the expense of workers who are paid very little. Despite the expensive nature of developing these systems, there is no other way to create them without human input.
Whittaker did acknowledge that not all AI systems are exploitative. Signal itself uses a small on-device AI model for its face blur feature in its media editing toolset. This allows users to detect and blur faces in crowd photos before sharing them on social media, protecting people’s biometric data.
However, Whittaker emphasized that facial recognition technology has much broader economic incentives, which would never limit its use to just privacy protection. The profitability and demand for such technology mean that it will continue to be used in various contexts, with potentially significant implications for privacy and surveillance.
So, is AI really just surveillance in disguise? That’s the question to ponder. As technology continues to advance, it’s important to consider the potential impacts and implications of AI on our lives. What do you think about AI and surveillance? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
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