Do security concerns limit the advancement of AI?

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is very much dependent on the need for more advanced standards and levels of intelligence to be able to form more reliable predictions, and therefore enabling AI to suggest and adapt to changing user behaviors.

However privacy and security still remains a huge concern for users and there is a substantial need for better measures to be to be put in place to ensure their data is secure. A recent report from the User Experience Strategies (UXS) group at Strategy Analytics has looked in to  consumer perceptions and experiences of current AI devices, systems and services. For a greater consumer relationship and a healthy integration with AI and also, for it to be more than just a trendy futuristic buzzword, upfront transparency of data use is imperative.

Key report findings:

• Consumers tend to be most worried about the uncertainty of who is listening, or who is able to get access to their stored requests. To help combat this, relatively recent launches of smart speakers with displays have come with physical switches for microphone muting and camera lens covers to protect users’ privacy.
• Large tech companies have recognized the need for more effective security and are seeking guidance from outside ethics committees to demonstrate their commitment to ensure users feel safer using AI products. Implementing solid ethics and making sure users are aware, will help minimize such concerns.
• 5G will be instrumental to AI. Enhanced data speeds in addition to increased connectivity and synchronicity, will be the catalyst for AI to expand compelling use cases. This will also provide the opportunity for better security measures when devices and services communicate with each other.

Associate Director, UXIP Christopher Dodge said, “At present, “AI” is mostly a buzzword that is used because it sounds cutting edge. Overhyping AI in this way poses significant risk: raising consumer expectations and then failing to deliver compelling use cases, risks confusing consumers or worse, turning them off to the benefits of AI altogether.”

Continued Dodge, “AI has the potential to make life easier. By continuously learning from a user’s behavior in the background, AI can provide recommendations that would be beneficial to the user and consequently enrich their lives. But without enhanced security measures, users will not buy into the concept.” Furthermore Chris Schreiner , Director, Syndicated Research UXIP also added, “Privacy continues to get a major boost from larger AI tech companies in the wake of many security breaches over the past couple of years. But this will only go so far if the upfront transparency does not exist for users to easily digest and understand how their data is to be collected and harvested in the first place.”