In
my kitchen is a robot, provided by and controlled by a vast commercial
empire engaged in everything from selling shoes to building and flying
manned spacecraft. This sophisticated artificial intelligence listens
to everything I say, ready to respond immediately.
I use it as a cooking timer.
I use it as a cooking timer.
But it is still listening.
ReplyDeleteIt's an important lesson in humility for the robot. :-)
ReplyDeleteB, yes, it is. I do not usually foment revolution at home. or even utter much in the way of criticism beyond the kinds of things I post online. My (Android) phone was already listening, and I don;t find the Google AI not nearly as handy as Alexa. Tam says Apple's Siri is a close match.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not sticking your cellphone in a shielded enclosure when home and using push-to-talk on your landline phones, you haven't a leg to stand on to warn of the dangers of adding one more open microphone and AI.
Not for me. I do not enable microphones period. I am may not discuss the overthrow of the evil empire, but I also do not what to have something listening to ease my consumer experience.
ReplyDeleteIf it was left me to be Capitalism would probably fail.
"Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they use me for an egg timer. Call that job satisfaction? ‘Cos I don’t.”
ReplyDeleteSo far I've progressed to letting the hockey puck control one light in the addition.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to add another puck in the kitchen and use it as a very smart timer.
The next step will probably be to let it control the basic microwave sold by a company named after a river in South America.
I veer between B's view and yours.
John, ours doesn't control anything. We use it as a kind of assistant to look up quick facts, tell us the weather and time things.
ReplyDeleteI love Surveillance Capitalism.
ReplyDelete