Technology Titans and AI Personalization
For years, tech companies have leveraged our digital footprints alongside artificial intelligence (AI) to hone their services, tailoring our searches and social media feeds to our preferences. Recently, vast amounts of public data have been employed to advance various language models through generative AI.
Concerns Over Public Data Usage
A contentious issue in the media, sparked by Norway’s largest newspaper, VG, relates to Meta’s intention to use our publicly shared images and posts to train their language models, a move made without explicit consent from users. VG’s commentator expressed deep concern over social media platforms’ practices, implying that they are overstepping boundaries by utilizing users’ images without permission. In a similar vein, VG employs AI technologies without securing explicit user consent.
The Role of OpenAI and Data Crawling
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has utilized publicly available data, collected via “web crawling,” to train its models. While certain sources, particularly those with paywalls or sensitive personal data, are excluded, a significant amount of content is used without the explicit approval of contributors.
Hypocrisy in Data Practices
In 2023, it became public that VG barred ChatGPT to avoid sharing its journalism for AI enhancement, despite using the same technology for newsletters and the Whisper technology for transcription in their Jojo app. VG also utilizes Google’s various AI tools and Anthropic’s Claude language model. These platforms are trained on extensive internet data, including public social media posts, without securing explicit user consent. By leveraging these tools, VG takes advantage of data gathered without consent while criticizing Meta for similar tactics, exposing a hypocrisy that potentially undermines the newspaper’s credibility and highlights a significant double standard.
Privacy and Progress: Striking a Balance
The dichotomy between privacy concerns and technological progress is pivotal. VG is urged to not only address others’ practices but to align with ethical standards, ensuring explicit consent in AI data use, to maintain transparency and fortify trust in editorial media. As things stand, inconsistent practices observed by VG and other editorial media may contribute to declining public trust in Norwegian news outlets.
Key Questions and Answers
What are the key challenges in using AI and personal data in journalism?
The key challenges involve privacy concerns, consent, data protection, and a potential erosion of trust. Balancing the benefits of AI personalization with ethical data practices is complex, particularly in journalism, where credibility is paramount.
What are the ethical issues surrounding the use of publicly shared data to train AI language models?
Ethical issues include whether it is appropriate to use data without explicit consent, the potential for misuse of personal information, and whether the public fully understands how their data is being used.
What controversies have emerged due to the use of public data in AI by news organizations?
Controversies stem from news organizations criticizing tech giants for their data practices while simultaneously employing similar methods themselves without explicit user consent, leading to accusations of hypocrisy.
Advantages and Disadvantages of AI in Journalism
Advantages:
– AI can improve the personalization of content, making it more relevant to users.
– It can enhance efficiency in newsrooms, such as by using AI for transcription or content creation.
– AI has the potential to analyze vast amounts of data for investigative journalism.
Disrupted Employment:
– AI’s ability to automate tasks may lead to job displacement within the journalism industry.
– Depersonalization and potential biases in AI algorithms can affect the quality and diversity of news.
Privacy Concerns:
– The use of personal data can infringe upon privacy and raise concerns over surveillance.
– The risk of data breaches increases when large amounts of personal data are collected.
For additional information on the topic, reputable sources of information include OpenAI and tech company policies like those of Meta. These sources can provide insights into the technologies discussed and their implications for journalism and data ethics.