A stark warning is painted against the backdrop of advancements and admiration for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Recent exposure of Meta‘s disregard for privacy ripples through not just tech enthusiasts but every internet user. After all, heavy is the head that holds the code.
Meta, best known as the previous Facebook, profoundly impacted user privacy over the last two decades. However, the alarming rampage on privacy control may just be a prelude to an even fiercer beast – AI. As AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard become commonplace, they face accusations of exacerbating political divisions, raising concerns over their underlying biases.
The fears, however, don’t stop at bias. The opaque training and programming of AI, especially in deep learning models, are serious concerns. With sensitive data used to train these AI models, there’s the potential for manipulation if this data becomes compromised. The introduction of blockchain with AI comes as a potential game-changer in enhancing transparency, accountability, and audibility, reducing potential misuses of AI.
Adding to this, blockchain can secure the integrity of data when training AI models, enabling stakeholders to track and verify the decision-making process. But the question looms – what about intentional misuse?
Tech giants like Meta have notoriously manipulated democratic values and individuals for profit, exemplified in the controversial Cambridge Analytica scandal. More recently, Threads, Meta’s latest app, appears to have similar privacy invasions. Unbeknownst to users upon signing up, they grant Meta access to GPS location, camera, photos, IP information, device type, and device signals. This widespread invasion of privacy could be catastrophic if coupled with AI.
While blockchain technology is the intuitive remedy, it comes with complications. Although it can potentially enhance data privacy, it’s unlikely to halt Big Tech’s data harvesting practices entirely. The real protection against the intentional dangers of AI and possible recurrent Cambridge Analytica-like scenarios lie in decentralized, preferably blockchain-based, social media platforms. By design, these platforms minimize the concentration of user data in a single entity, drastically reducing the potential for mass surveillance and AI disinformation campaigns.
The foresight for guarded independence from AI lies in the development and implementation of blockchain-based technologies, particularly in cybersecurity. While some measures are commended, active development is crucial toward minimizing our vulnerabilities to AI from centralized Web2 entities like Meta. A genuinely competitive ecosystem of decentralized social media apps is certainly an intensified call to arms against AI’s unchecked power.
Source: Cointelegraph
