Mass TLC Conference: Understanding The Benefits And Risks of AI and IoT At Home

In the age of machine learning Eric Daimler, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow and Squared Capital Parter, knows Artificial Intelligence. He sees where IoT is going. He understands the world as we know it is rapidly changing, whether we like it or not. At the 2017 Mass TLC Conference held in Boston, Massachusetts, Daimler spoke with CRNtv about the important things to consider as consumers of these state-of-the-art and highly sought-after forms of technology. He discusses the importance of understanding and really adapting to the relationship that we as living beings have with forms of AI that have one simple goal: to collect data. “We don’t really have a mechanism to track what data is being communicated about us when its being collected at this level,” said Daimler. He explained that as humans, we don’t know how to express discomfort or displeasure with something collecting our data. So, how do we enforce boundaries? How do we determine where this information is actually going, who is seeing it, and how is it really being used? These are all questions Daimler urged audience members to consider during his keynote address. “The way we are going to have to adopt this is by viewing it as a type of hygiene. We have to make sure that when interacting with robots, our privacy is shielded.” He talks about what many would consider innocent behaviors, like sitting in a movie theater, for example. “Though it may be innocent, I realize I just don’t want this to be part of the web,” said Daimler. In this day and age, many think twice before openly revealing their geographic location (even if only to a smartwatch) because of this inability to track exactly where the data is going. Some of the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as companies pushing these products out to consumers are: How do I trust what you’re doing? Who is actually authenticating the behavior of these devices? How do I trust the movements of a robotic device? Do I trust the brand that owns the technology? All valid questions. So, what is the best solution in a world where enormous amounts of data are being tracked and shared daily? “The likely solution is having distinct points of data instead of large data bases. So, if you had a breach or a large point of failure, the world wouldn’t come crashing down, so to speak.”