Trust and AI
In their rush to cram in “AI” “features”, it seems to me that many companies don’t actually understand why people use their products.
Trust is a precious commodity. It takes a long time to build trust. It takes a short time to destroy it.
I am honestly astonished that so many companies don’t seem to realise what they’re destroying.
Google has recently released AI search to the world as if they were a garage startup with 5 free users. A product that outputs “evil”1 answers from sarcastic redditors, like suggesting a jumping off the Golden State Bridge in case you’re depressed.
Yes, Google. The multi-billion dollar company with billions of daily active users.
Then there’s Microsoft, who just announced they’ll be screenshotting everything you do (yeah, all your private information, including, but not limited to, passwords) to train AI. But don’t worry, you can OPT-OUT, haha. I wonder if there are any crazy people that would willingly OPT-IN.
Yes, Microsoft. The company that provides access to computers for billions of people around the world.
And, of course, there’s Apple. The so-called privacy-focused company, who’s supposedly making deals with OpenAI—the company who didn’t sign Scarlett Johansson for their Voice AI, so they supposedly hired someone else who just happens to have a very similar voice to the actress—or maybe they just trained on her voice? Who knows.
I’m dumbfounded by these announcements.
It doesn’t surprise me that tech companies will slip every once in awhile. They’re usually greedy, anxious, and want to be either the first, or last when it comes to new tech.
What surprises me is that they really seem to prefer risking the trust of their current paying customers for an “in” on the AI race. Risking their main products. It makes them look like amateurs.
What are they even doing? Trying to collect checks from investors? Trying to up their stock? Is it working? I hope not. Because this was shameful to see.
Footnotes
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Pun intended on the company that used to have “don’t be evil” as an internal principal. ↩