AI in the now... AI in retail... for example Amazon.go... more convinience at the price of total privacy loss?

doifeellucky (64)in #ai • 5 years ago

AI (artificial intelligence) seems to be an abstract construct for many.

In this article series I'll show you some examples of already working AI implementations that could give a glimpse into the future use of AI on the way to an AGI (artificial general intelligence).

If you enter an amazon.go shop, after downloading an app on your smart phone and activating the app the entrance gates open with the phone, you're constantly monitored.

"The shop" picks up on the path your taking through the shop, where you stand for a moment or two, it saves in which products you're interested in.

In the ceiling of the shop you'll see how "the magic" happens. Intelligent surveillance cameras and sensors pick up on every move you make in the shop and this data is fed into databases for future use.

Which products do you take out of the shelves, which products do you put back into the shelve and what are you taking along.

At the moment this is just a test but amazon plans to open another 50 amazon.go shops worldwide.

The end of the sales clerk and the cashier. Just walk out shopping.

When you leave the shop you might feel a little like a thief, but no worries all of the goods that you've taken out of the shop are automatically billed and payed via your amazon.go app on your phone.

Convenience at the price of total surveillance and loss of privacy.

The more you use services like amazon.go your shopping behavior will be tracked and stored. The idea behind this is that with this knowledge they can try to sell you more products and goods based on your historic shopping data.

This is where AI comes into play. Foremost ANI (artificial narrow intelligence) which is limited to a narrow scope thus this is still "smart" enough to predict with a certain probability what products you will shop in the future and which new or other products might fit your "shopping profile".

Of course these methods are long battle proven already in the field of online shopping.

With every additional data point the system "learns" more about you and the precision of your profile gains in accuracy.

This even goes so far that based on your previous shopping ANI systems can calculate the probability of you fitting certain characteristic markers for being pregnant, addicted or sick.

The more data is gathered the more additional "markers" can be identified for future profile mapping.

Here some more background in this field:

https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/artificial-intelligence-retail/

Let me know what you think!

Do you see this as an real danger to your and every ones personal freedom or is this just another little compromise your willing to accept for more convenience?