OpenAI, Policy, and Privacy

Speculation on the OpenAI consumer product and privacy in the era of AI.

Three thoughts on AI as we head into a long weekend that are tied together by the thread of personal AI, personal data, and personal privacy.

OpenAI’s Consumer Product

OpenAI’s physical consumer product is going to be Jarvis.

Or at least, that is my suspicion. An Echo Dot-like device but with a built-in camera and radar. Casting to the television so that my AI assistant/friend can read my facial expressions and see me move about the room as it and I interact.¹

There will be a monetization opportunity to skin/customize your AI’s avatar. Maybe even the opportunity to do virtual traveling or to go to virtual events with them. It definitely will play games with you.² (and burn a ton of tokens in the process)³

The future is going to come fast.

AI Policy

Can policy hold back technology?

No. It can only delay it.

With technology, it is not a question of if we should. We will.

You can try to legislate to reduce risks, but innovation will find a way.

Instead, policy seems at best able to steer technology in certain directions. More neutrally, it wastes resources better spent elsewhere. At worst, it can set a country back generations.

It makes me uneasy to see talk of legislating technology. It is never simple. Particularly when the technology is software rather than hardware. Code is speech. It will not be stamped out.⁴ Working to find ways that citizens can benefit from the technology rather than trying to shape the technologies for the benefit of the citizens seems like a more prudent approach.

As our elected officials wrestle with the societal questions that are raised in this new era, I hope they realize that the genie is not going back in the bottle. And I hope we citizens use these magical AI genies to better our lives.

Disposable Identities or Privacy and Personal Data in the AI Era

I made a comment on personal data that may be being collected (either outside of an AI and being pumped into an AI or an AI company gathering data on its users) and how its value outweighs any brand damage that may result from its collection and usage coming to light.

It seems to me that political organizations that care about privacy and security may want to engage with Apple. If any corporate entity were to have the appetite for pushing forward technical standards that addressed privacy concerns it seems like it is going to be them.

One way I would like to see that go is that since we can’t limit what a company does with our information or how long they keep it once we provide it, then the next best solution is to make identities disposable. Make browser containers also generate a new email address, name, age, mother’s maiden name.

While there would certainly be technical challenges, this may also require some sort of law that overrides terms of service and allows you to use an anonymous id to register.

How would it work? I have no idea.

Being able to tie that all together (on device and with virtual card numbers from Apple Pay), and easily swap between them, would be a win for consumers and a win for Apple.

Would it be open? I’m not sure. Would it get consumers more effective privacy than any piece of legislation? Almost certainly.

1. Dare I say “we”?

2. The easing they did on content restrictions gets a little more interesting here.

3. Virtual sex is the solution to capex over-exuberance. (That was a fun sentence to write.)

4. DeCSS t-shirts could be taken as evidence of speech. Export controls not stopping the spread of encryption could be taken as evidence that it will not be stamped out.