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Saturday, March 03, 2018

The disturbing acceptance of Google's new 'smart' camera

In the reviews that rolled out recently for Google's new Clips smart camera, there were the rote things that you'd expect in all tech reviews: what was good, what was bad, and, inevitably, whether or not you should buy it. There was, however, a key idea conspicuously absent: whether or not the product should exist at all.

The pitch for the Google Clips is it's a camera that sits off to the side in a room and automatically captures the kinds of candid shots that one never really plans for — the most common examples cited being some random happening involving one's kids or pets. Instead of mere serendipity, however, the camera uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to try and guess when to best take a shot.

Reviews, perhaps unsurprisingly, haven't been great. The technology to take pictures in a smart way with satisfying results simply doesn't exist yet, largely because determining what makes a good shot is still a profoundly human, subjective thing. But perhaps a product with such obvious flaws is cause for concern for reasons more significant than the release of yet another disappointing gadget. Instead, it appears that in rarely questioning whether a piece of tech should have been released at all, we are unwittingly become guinea pigs for tech, and inadvertent cheerleaders for things that, in the aggregate, end up making things worse.

What's the point then? In part, to position Google as an innovative, even family-friend company. But it's also to test out the concept, gather data, and help perfect the idea of a "smart camera" for broader applications. It's thus worth questioning what gets carried along in the cutesy design and marketing of a product like Clips. Cameras powered by artificial intelligence will inevitably be used to superpower surveillance.

More here

5 comments:

Concerned Retiree said...

Google and Big brother Shadow Government watching you 24/7.

Anonymous said...

I have a sticky note posted over my laptop's built in cam, and will never allow an Alexa" type unit in my house. I'm sure I'm spied upon in other ways, but I'm into not making it easy.

Anonymous said...


Not a great leap. You voluntarily let Alexa record your spoken words as well as the commands you give. You voluntarily let Clips record the images. Merging the two will be easy. 5th Amendment? What was that?

Anonymous said...

Google is CIA.
This is the ultimate in spying.

Wake up Americans!

Anonymous said...

If you are not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to worry about. Just like DUI checkpoints that so many on here all all in favor of.