AI systems like Google's Bard and OpenAI's ChatGPT are designed to generate content by analyzing a huge amount of data, including human queries and responses. However, these systems have sparked legitimate worries regarding privacy. Google has emphasized that it will solely utilize customer data with proper permission. However, the question of trust is complex.
According to an article on Yahoo! News, Google's policy allows the company to utilize publicly available data for training its AI models. However, Google explicitly states that it does not use any of your personal content.
Furthermore, there is a link provided in Google's documentation that leads to a privacy commitment piece.
In that document, one particular paragraph captures attention: "In regards to the utilization of publicly available information, Google acknowledges its potential to improve AI models. However, it assures users that their personal content is not incorporated into these models. Google remains committed to upholding privacy standards and safeguarding user data throughout its operations."
At first glance, one might be inclined to say, Yes, we can trust them because they explicitly state “they won't utilize customer data without permission." Nevertheless, it's conceivable that we may have unintentionally granted them permission by agreeing to the ever-changing End User License Agreement (EULA) for Google Docs/Drive.
Additionally, even though privacy is a significant concern for users, there is no assurance that companies like Google, iCloud, OneDrive, or Dropbox will change their policies to ensure that any content stored on their platforms remains private and inaccessible to them.
In other words, the current policies may not provide a guarantee of privacy for user data, and there is uncertainty about whether these companies will make changes to address this concern in the future.
AI training involves educating an AI system to understand, interpret, and gain knowledge from data.
This enables the AI to make decisions based on the information it receives, a process known as inferencing.
To achieve successful AI training, three crucial elements are required. First, there needs to be a well-crafted AI model, which serves as the foundation for the system. Second, a significant volume of top-notch data is necessary, with accurate annotations to aid learning. Lastly, a robust computing platform is essential to handle the computational demands of the training process.
If you have concerns about Google's updated privacy policy, there are actions you can take to safeguard your data and privacy:
1. Be cautious about what you share: Only share information publicly that you're comfortable with Google or any other company accessing and using.
2. Use Google's privacy controls: Take a look at your privacy settings within your Google account. You can choose to opt out of features like "Web & App Activity," "Location History," and "Voice & Audio Activity" to have more control over your data.
3. Explore other services: Look into alternative providers that have stricter privacy policies. For example, you can try DuckDuckGo for search, ProtonMail for email, Vimeo for video sharing, and Brave for web browsing.
4. Use private browsing: When using Google services, activate the incognito or private browsing mode. This helps limit the collection of your browsing history.
5. Stay informed: Before using any website, mobile app, or service, make sure to read and understand their privacy policies. Be cautious with platforms that explicitly share your data with Google.