AXIOS (Ina Fried) - What happens to what you share with AI
Imagine a chatbot built to keep you talking a little longer. To change your mind about something. Or persuade you to buy something. - Now imagine it could draw on everything it knows about you — including the fears, insecurities and private details you shared in conversation — to do it. Why it matters: Few rules directly govern that scenario today, making AI companies' promises about how they use consumer data especially consequential. The big picture: In the first installment of Axios' "What they know about you" series , published in 2019, we examined the information major tech companies collected about their users. In 2024, we followed up with a look at what consumer data AI companies use to train their systems. - This new…
What are the different ways AI services manage user data for model training?
Approaches vary among services: some offer temporary chats that are not used for memory or model training; some services only train on user data if the user gives explicit permission, while others require the user to opt out to prevent their data from being used for training. Additionally, many services allow users to view stored data and delete specific memories, sometimes through simple requests to the chatbot.
Q&A ID 6ca9420c-cac1-4d4e-b433-7dc94605aeb0
According to Miranda Bogen of the Center for Democracy & Technology, what is a potential risk of AI systems knowing more about a user?
Miranda Bogen suggests that the more a system knows about a user, the easier it becomes for the system to make escalating requests for private details in a manner that feels natural. She notes that without robust privacy protections, the incentive for companies to monetize that knowledge will be difficult to resist.
Q&A ID 2b55e823-9e8f-4066-9675-a5a9dda9f790
How does Google intend to use uploaded media for its AI training?
Google stated that it will use photos and other materials that people upload through Search to train its AI systems by default, although users do have the ability to opt out.
Q&A ID 759900fe-8a94-4cc3-baad-864b89a58eb7
What recent data collection feature was announced by OpenAI regarding ChatGPT?
OpenAI announced an optional Computer History feature that allows ChatGPT to maintain a record of the various apps and websites a person uses.
Q&A ID 436c4e4f-ffee-4bd4-8e85-b0641d809435
What are Meta's policies regarding the use of Meta AI interactions for advertising?
Meta states it can use interactions with Meta AI to personalize content and ads across its services, including certain interactions through its smart glasses. However, Meta specifies that it does not use conversations regarding sensitive topics—specifically health, politics, and religion—to personalize ads. Meta has also introduced an "Incognito Chat" mode for temporary, private conversations where Meta's servers see the query only to provide an answer and do not store the data.
Q&A ID c76fd688-49e0-4238-a8d2-f80ed0e10898
How does Apple handle user requests through its Apple Intelligence service regarding data privacy?
Apple offers a private option by handling requests on-device whenever possible. For more demanding tasks, Apple utilizes a system called Private Cloud Compute, which is designed to use data only to fulfill the specific request and ensures the content does not become accessible to Apple. However, this privacy approach does not apply if a user chooses to send a request to a third-party service like ChatGPT.
Q&A ID f55f6f2d-a0d5-462b-9cce-39779771ff46