Rant on AI: Stop Pushing It on Us, Tech Giants!
- By Malte Mansholt
- 3 Min
Tech Giants: Cease Imposing Forced AI on Users - Preserve Personal Privacy - Tech Giants Insist on Imposing Artificial Intelligence, Disregarding User's Demand for Privacy
The blue circle. It emerges every time I open WhatsApp. A constant reminder to engage with the Meta AI. But I'm not interested. Many others share this sentiment yet feel powerless to change it. Yet, we're not consulted about these AI features. They're thrust upon us.
Recently, AI integration has been intensifying, whether it's on WhatsApp or, as of last week, in Germany with Google search. We're increasingly asked to use AI features without our consent. Instead, they're being forced upon us.
AI: Sure, but...
It's not that I fundamentally oppose AI. I use ChatGPT frequently, and I let AI programs edit my photos. I've even had a KI-bot successfully rebook a flight for me after a cancellation. AI can be useful when it's my choice to let it take over tasks.
Albeit, there are instances where it's appropriate for AI to work without explicit consent. For example, did you know that the photos on your smartphone are often combined by AI to produce the best results? Or that your photo library allows AI to categorize photos based on content, enhancing search capabilities?
The distinction lies in the purpose. AI is a tool to enhance features, not the primary objective. There's no semblance of conversing with an equal partner. Rather, AI functions as an assistant that offloads work rather than an intelligent counselor as marketed.
Companion or Taskmaster?
However, it appears that some corporations view voluntary use as insufficient. AI is increasingly shoved onto users even when it's not desired. Of course, Google, Meta, and others are interested in increasing user engagement with their AI features. The AI summary in Google, for instance, expands the company's control over the user's online behavior, directing ads to their platform.
The Meta AI, on the other hand, enables Meta to gain more insight into users than merely through app usage. In regards to WhatsApp, the Meta AI offers Meta invaluable customer data. Since chats are encrypted, Meta cannot read conversations between users. However, with the Meta-AI, encryption becomes irrelevant as conversations can now be read and analyzed in plain text.
WhatsAppWatching
Meta's platforms already collect enough data about us as it is. The Meta AI might become a loophole to further intertwine user data. For example, the EU has previously prohibited Meta from linking data from the same customers across multiple Meta services like WhatsApp and Instagram. However, if the user engages with Meta AI on multiple services, the company might contend that it's the same service.
In addition, this poses a risk for parents. While I can control whether my children have access to apps like ChatGPT and others, it's almost impossible with WhatsApp. The messenger is ubiquitous in society, akin to imposing a social ban. As the AI in WhatsApp cannot be fully shut off, children gain unbounded access to the KI-bot with all imagined consequences.
Learning from Apple
Apple has shown us a better way. Although Apple Intelligence, available in Germany since early April, does not offer groundbreaking AI, it allows users to choose which specific functions to use. When my iPhone now compiles my notifications, I sometimes receive strange results. But I can also just turn off the feature or delete the entire Apple Intelligence application.
Taking Control: WhatsApp, Google, and You
- Limiting AI Interactions: Although there is no straightforward option to completely disable the Meta AI in WhatsApp, users can limit their interactions with it. Avoid engaging with AI-generated content or use commands like on other platforms.
- Delete Chats: Users can delete individual chats, which will remove them from their app but not from the recipient's.
Google Search
- Incognito Mode: Using incognito mode can reduce data collection, but it does not disable AI-driven search results.
General Strategy
- Alternative Apps: Users dissatisfied with AI integration can consider switching to alternative apps like Signal for messaging or DuckDuckGo for search.
- Awareness and Feedback: Encouraging transparency and providing feedback to companies can help them understand user concerns and potentially implement better control options.
- Artificial Intelligence
- AI
- ChatGPT
- The Commission, in reviewing the draft regulation on AI, might consider the concerns raised by users regarding unconsented AI integration, especially in messaging applications like WhatsApp.
- It's interesting to note that while AI like ChatGPT can be beneficial when the user chooses to utilize it, AI features in apps such as WhatsApp continue to be thrust upon users, often without their consent.
- The consultation of the Commission on the draft regulation would be an opportunity to address the issue of users being forced to engage with AI in services like WhatsApp, potentially leading to a more balanced approach between AI functionality and user choice.
