Apple, Microsoft, and Google are paving the way for a new era of artificially intelligent smartphones and computers. These tech giants promise that their devices will streamline tasks like photo editing and sending birthday greetings to friends. However, to achieve this level of automation, they require something crucial from you: more data.
In this evolving landscape, your Windows computer may capture screenshots of your activities every few seconds, while an iPhone combines data from various apps. Additionally, an Android device might even listen to phone calls in real-time to warn you about potential scams.
Are you comfortable sharing this level of information?
This shift poses significant privacy implications. To deliver personalized services, companies and their devices need greater and more intimate access to our data than ever before. AI requires a broader view to connect the dots between our activities across different apps, websites, and communications, as noted by security experts.
“Do I feel safe giving this information to this company?” questioned Cliff Steinhauer, a director at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, reflecting on the companies’ AI strategies.
All of this transformation stems from OpenAI’s ChatGPT disrupting the tech industry nearly two years ago. Since then, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other major players have revamped their product strategies, investing billions in new AI-driven services. They firmly believe that this new breed of computing interface – one that continuously analyzes your actions to offer assistance – will become indispensable.
The primary security concern arising from this shift relates to how our devices operate differently now, experts warn. Because AI can automate complex tasks, such as removing unwanted objects from photos, it often requires more processing power than our phones can provide. Consequently, more of our personal data may need to be transmitted elsewhere for processing.
This data is sent to the cloud, a network of servers that handle the requests. Once data reaches the cloud, it becomes susceptible to being accessed by unauthorized parties, including company employees, malicious actors, and government agencies. While some of our data has always been stored in the cloud, our most sensitive information – like photos, messages, and emails – may now be linked and analyzed by companies on their servers.
The tech firms assert that they have implemented robust measures to safeguard users’ data.
It’s imperative to comprehend what happens to our information when utilizing AI tools. Therefore, I sought additional insights from the companies on their data practices and consulted security experts. I intend to evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies before deciding whether sharing my data is worthwhile.
Apple Intelligence
Apple recently unveiled Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI services marking its significant entry into the AI realm.
