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Tech Companies Update Privacy Policies to Allow Broader Use of User Data for AI

  • More companies like Twitter, Microsoft, and Zoom are updating privacy policies to allow using collected user data to train AI models.

  • Transcription service Rev recently updated terms to allow using customer content to train its speech-to-text and other AI models.

  • Instacart added language allowing it to use customer data to improve its machine learning algorithms and build new AI features.

  • Google and Meta (Facebook) now vaguely mention in privacy policies that user data can be used to train or improve AI services and tools.

  • Users have little control over preventing their data from being used, though some companies like Zoom have backtracked due to backlash.

businessinsider.com
Relevant topic timeline:
### Summary Generative AI tools are being adopted rapidly by businesses, but organizations must establish safeguards to protect sensitive data, ensure customer privacy, and avoid regulatory violations. ### Facts - The use of generative AI tools poses risks such as AI errors, malicious attacks, and potential exposure of sensitive data. - Samsung's semiconductor division experienced trade secrets leaks after engineers used ChatGPT, a generative AI platform developed by OpenAI. - Organizations are embracing genAI tools to increase revenue, drive innovation, and improve employee productivity. - Privacy and data protection, inaccurate outputs, and cybersecurity risks are among the main challenges organizations face when using genAI. - Risk management strategies for genAI include defining policies for acceptable use, implementing input content filters, and ensuring data privacy and protection. - Users should be cautious of prompt injection attacks and implement strong security measures to protect against potential breaches. - Despite the risks, the advantages of using AI tools, such as increased productivity, innovation, and automation, outweigh the potential drawbacks. ### Emoji 🤖
Generative AI models like ChatGPT pose risks to content and data privacy, as they can scrape and use content without attribution, potentially leading to loss of traffic, revenue, and ethical debates about AI innovation. Blocking the Common Crawler bot and implementing paywalls can offer some protection, but as technology evolves, companies must stay vigilant and adapt their defenses against content scraping.
Salesforce has released an AI Acceptable Use Policy that outlines the restrictions on the use of its generative AI products, including prohibiting their use for weapons development, adult content, profiling based on protected characteristics, medical or legal advice, and more. The policy emphasizes the need for responsible innovation and sets clear ethical guidelines for the use of AI.
Enterprises need to find a way to leverage the power of generative AI without risking the security, privacy, and governance of their sensitive data, and one solution is to bring the large language models (LLMs) to their data within their existing security perimeter, allowing for customization and interaction while maintaining control over their proprietary information.
Meta, the creator of Facebook and Instagram, has introduced a privacy setting that allows users to request that their data not be used to train its AI models, although the effectiveness of this form is questionable.
X's updated privacy policy reveals that it will collect biometric data, job and education history, and use publicly available information to train its machine learning and AI models, potentially for Elon Musk's other company, xAI, which aims to use public tweets for training its AI models.
"Generative" AI is being explored in various fields such as healthcare and art, but there are concerns regarding privacy and theft that need to be addressed.
Generative AI models like ChatGPT can produce personalized medical advice, but they often generate inaccurate information, raising concerns about their reliability and potential harm. However, as AI technology advances, it has the potential to complement doctor consultations and improve healthcare outcomes by providing thorough explanations and synthesizing multiple data sources. To ensure responsible progress, patient data security measures, regulatory frameworks, and extensive training for healthcare professionals are necessary.
Big Tech companies are using personal data to train their AI systems, raising concerns about privacy and control over our own information, as users have little say in how their data is being used and companies often define their own rules for data usage.
Palantir Technologies and Snowflake are dominant forces in the field of advanced data analytics and AI, with Palantir's advanced machine-learning technology and expertise in data privacy making it uniquely positioned to benefit in the AI revolution, while Snowflake's expertise in curating and optimizing enterprise data and its consumption-based pricing model make it an essential component for enterprises' AI strategies.
Salesforce has introduced a new AI assistant called Einstein Copilot that allows users to ask questions in natural language and receive information and assistance, aiming to enhance productivity and efficiency across various tasks and industries. The company also aims to address the trust gap and potential issues with large language models by linking the AI tooling to its own Data Cloud and implementing a trust layer for security, governance, and privacy.
Microsoft inadvertently exposed 38TB of personal data, including sensitive information, due to a data leak during the uploading of training data for AI models, raising concerns about the need for improved security measures as AI usage becomes more widespread.
Large corporations are grappling with the decision of whether to embrace generative AI tools like ChatGPT due to concerns over copyright and security risks, leading some companies to ban internal use of the technology for now; however, these bans may be temporary as companies explore the best approach for responsible usage to maximize efficiency without compromising sensitive information.
Amazon has announced that large language models are now powering Alexa in order to make the voice assistant more conversational, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has identified India as the next big AI market due to its potential consumer base. Additionally, authors George RR Martin, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and Jonathan Franzen are suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, and Microsoft's AI assistant in Office apps called Microsoft 365 Copilot is being tested by around 600 companies for tasks such as summarizing meetings and highlighting important emails. Furthermore, AI-run asset managers face challenges in compiling investment portfolios that accurately consider sustainability metrics, and Salesforce is introducing an AI assistant called Einstein Copilot for its customers to interact with. Finally, Google's Bard AI chatbot has launched a fact-checking feature, but it still requires human intervention for accurate verification.
Microsoft's recent updates focused on AI-driven features like Copilot and Bing Chat, but while these advancements are impressive, concerns over privacy outweigh the benefits.
Amazon has admitted to using user conversations with Alexa to train the voice assistant's AI capabilities, raising concerns about privacy and data protection.
Artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, may have a right to free speech, according to some arguments, as it can support and enhance human thinking, but the application of free speech to AI should be cautious to prevent the spread of misinformation and manipulation of human thought. Regulations should consider the impact on free thought and balance the need for disclosure, anonymity, and liability with the protection of privacy and the preservation of free thought.
Summary: OpenAI's ChatGPT has received major updates, including image recognition, speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities, and integration with browsing the internet, while a new contract protects Hollywood writers from AI automation and ensures AI-generated material is not considered source material for creative works; however, a privacy expert advises against using ChatGPT for therapy due to concerns about personal information being used as training data and the lack of empathy and liability in AI chatbots.
AI researchers from the University of North Carolina reveal the difficulty in removing sensitive data from large language models, highlighting that the information remains even after deletion attempts, posing challenges for data privacy.