From Google to Meta to Microsoft to Apple, all major technology companies are integrating generative AI into their online services.
Google’s recent integration of Bard, a chat-based AI tool, with many of Google’s apps and services brings generative AI more directly into consumers’ lives through text, image, and voice interactions. This is an example. Bundled with everything from Gmail, Docs, and Drive to Google Maps, YouTube, Google Flights, and Hotels, Bard acts as a more capable version of Google Assistant, helping you sift through vast amounts of data online. , which has the potential to personalize responses to individual user data. , all work in conversational natural language mode. It does all the tasks a personal assistant can do for people who don’t have one, including summarizing emails, booking travel, and writing shopping lists.
After a significant increase in public awareness of generative AI in 2023, individuals and businesses will likely center more decisions around AI in the coming year. One good example is how people get around. Generative AI moves from a behind-the-scenes driver of efficiency to the foreground with the concept of an intelligent concierge that transforms how consumers search, pay, and make decisions. “Fully voice-enabled chatbots provide instant translations and act on behalf of travelers, making travel more accessible,” said Eduard Schutte, senior vice president at global travel technology company Amadeus. said.
The planning process is similar to talking to a travel agent, but you have access to an almost unlimited amount of data, which is instantly searchable, Tailor to the individual. Beyond simple data points like price and date, more comprehensive concepts like purpose are incorporated into the search process. “Generative AI makes it easier to identify travel objectives, expectations, willingness to pay, etc. through chatbot conversations,” Schutte said.
Even when traveling, there is no end to communication. A user reaching a fork in the hiking trail might take a photo of the sign and ask Google Bard which way is better for someone with her already tired 8-year-old in tow. “Content is adapted to what travelers are looking for, while conversational and generative AI chatbots are used to ask the right questions to understand traveler preferences,” Schutte said. I did.
However, as the use of AI increases and it becomes easier to incorporate it into daily life for personal benefit, consumer privacy concerns are receiving new attention. At the most basic level, tools like Bard and its ability to improve the online shopping experience through personalized recommendations and streamlined product search can create potential security risks, the cybersecurity firm says. said Tal Zamir, his CTO at Perception Point. “As AI becomes deeply integrated into users’ data, it raises concerns about unauthorized access and misuse, making it important for shoppers to balance convenience and data protection measures,” Zamir said. Stated.
After decades of using the Internet, most consumers should be aware of this and have taken the security measures available to them. And in most cases, consumers are willing to accept the risk in favor of the apparent reward.
“Consumers who use Bard are giving up some of their personal data in exchange for the benefits of the tool,” Zamir said.
The use of AI within online experiences has already been on the rise for years, albeit not in as transparent a manner as consumer-specific AI tools.
Max Starkov, a technologist, consultant and digital strategist in the hospitality and online travel industry, said Google has been using AI in its search algorithms for years without consumers paying particular attention to opt-in provisions related to AI. said. He said AI-generated results are the next step in the world of “zero-click” search results, which Google has been moving toward in recent years. “Google is already implementing Gen AI behind the curtain to improve the accuracy of its ‘no-click’ answer boxes,” he said.
ChatGPT or not — we also cover this Questions regarding data utilization — or Google’s AI models are moving from early advances trained on “dead” data to gaining more knowledge from the ever-evolving internet and actual search and pathing behavior of users. Online shopping and travel booking are a treasure trove of individual user psychology and preferences, with aspirations and goals superimposed on the seemingly innocuous research for a new camping tent.
What did you search for? When did you search for it? Was the answer box sufficient to answer your question or question, or did you click on a link? Which link did you click on from the SERP (Search Engine Results Page)?
If you’ve also searched a lot for Star Wars or climate change in the past, when you search for camping gear, you’re likely to be recommended a sustainable campaign bag featuring Han Solo. Or if you’re planning a trip to Florida, you might find his Airbnb near the Hemingway House for those who ordered A Farewell to Arms or For Whom the Bell Tolls .
Google is Bard placement Not as a new and enhanced version of online search, but as a complement to online search. “We’re a creative collaborator,” a Google spokesperson said, adding that it’s being used in a different way than how people typically find information on Google Search..
“People come to Bird for help with all kinds of projects, including writing resumes, creating workout routines, and planning dream vacations,” she said.
The company also states that: Protection of personal information Gmail, Docs, and Drive content “is not seen by human reviewers and is used by Bard to display ads and to train Bard models.”
And a spokesperson said users can manage privacy settings that determine how these extensions are used, including the ability to turn them off at any time.
Internet privacy watchdogs remain vigilant.
For Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that has been tracking the Internet from a consumer privacy perspective since the 1990s, the latest AI’s business model has been more or less the same for decades. Chester said it is clear that AI is having many positive impacts in health innovation, for example. “But basically, this is just another broken glass in terms of privacy, identity and autonomy,” he added. And his powers of persuasion make the focus on consumer trade-offs all the more important. The company’s view that AI will understand users better than ever includes a potential rewiring of “what society and users buy and consume,” he said. Stated.
In the case of Google, some old privacy scores have just been resolved. Regulators continue to take new initiatives on fundamental issues on a broad scale. The F.T.C. “Commercial Surveillance” The rulemaking process will begin in late 2022, with an update expected in the first quarter of 2024. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed the following rules: Suppress data brokers. President Biden’s executive order on AI also calls for action from regulators.
But Chester spoke directly with FTC officials and described the current leadership as notable for its “pro-privacy” efforts, noting that despite the FTC and CFPB’s efforts making important regulatory promises, AI said privacy is still “not on the map.” As it should be.
“I don’t see this as a new innovative approach, but as a continued evolution for companies and advertisers to know exactly who you are and what you do.” said Chester. “AI raises the bar for everything.”
Consumers have always had choices like deleting cookies and privacy-friendly browsers, but practically speaking, most people accept what they get in return for sharing. “This is the original sin of the internet, and it is too late for all digital sinners to repent,” Chester said. “Who’s going to say, ‘I can’t get a discount because I don’t want the supermarket to have my data,’ or ‘I don’t know where the pharmacy is because I have Waze,'” Chester said.
Zamir said Bard’s enhancements will be more personalized and integrated with the online shopping experience, including auto-filling checkout forms, tracking shipments, and automatically comparing prices. All of this comes with risks, he said, including unauthorized access to personal and financial information during automated form-filling processes, malicious interception of real-time tracking information, and even potential manipulation of price comparison data. .
“The benefits of Bard should be weighed against the potential dark consequences, and consumers should exercise caution and prioritize privacy before adopting Bard and other AI-powered tools,” Zamir said. he said.
