It is inevitable that Artificial Intelligence gets embedded into pretty much every machine and system we interact with. The benefits of systems that use every bit of available data and that learn from experience are as significant as electrically powered devices were in the last century. Yet the impacts and risks of A.I. on individuals and society will be greater than electricity. The early privacy regulation and weak enforcement provides the stick in protecting privacy, but organizations like Amazon and Google need a fairly substantial carrot to get them to shift their business models. Even still, the acquisition of customer data will continue, the question is how will citizens get more agency over their data?
ProBeat: Amazon Halo is surveillance capitalism in a $100 fitness wearable
‘Amazon this week walked into the health gadget market with a $100 fitness wearable and a $4 per month subscription service. Amazon Halo stands out not for the lack of a screen, but rather its two “innovative” features: Body and Tone. The former uses computer vision, machine learning, and “a suite of algorithms that can generate your personalized 3D body model, BFP, and body model slider, a visual of how your body could change as you gain or lose body fat.” The latter uses machine learning to “analyze the positivity and energy of your voice — positivity is measured by how happy or sad you sound, and energy is how excited or tired you sound.”’
ProBeat: Amazon Halo is surveillance capitalism in a $100 fitness wearable by Emil Protalinski on VentureBeat