Are AI Assistants designed to help or exploit users

An article by Privacy International (PI) raises critical questions for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry regarding whether AI Assistants are being developed for user benefit or exploitation. The article underscores the increasing convenience offered by technology but cautions that large corporations are becoming deeply integrated into daily life, aiming for continuous user reliance on their services.

AI Assistants are a new frontier for the tech industry to embed itself even more profoundly into users' lives. However, PI argues that as the AI industry rapidly develops these integrated AI Assistants, companies must address crucial data protection questions concerning the destination and purpose of user data processing, the measures taken to protect it, and the ease with which users can control AI Assistant access, delete data, or disable monitoring. In addition, PI questions the extent of user control over AI Assistants, their safety, and ultimately, their fundamental design purpose: whether they are built to assist users or exploit them.