Living in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence is on the rise and automating lives. In fact, women's careers are at the highest risk as typical jobs such as cashiers and assistants can be easily automated. While the advancement of technology excites some, it terrifies others. In the second hour of this informative Frontline video, I learned a lot about data privacy and the surrounding dangers in the United States and Internationally. 

To my previous knowledge, companies and their AI technologies have a good amount of data on their users, and the Frontline video informed me how. It's explained that AI is trying to adapt to the user, so the users have personalized experiences. It was thought-provoking when the speaker said, "We aren't using social media, social media is using us". This factor alone could be a threat to important data. Paired with the concept of "digital exhaust", the data we leave behind when we browse and search, could lead to national security threats. Not only is digital exhaust a security threat, but it's also a revenue increase for companies like Google. Digital exhaust is valuable data because it predicts what a user might click on. Over a couple of years, this led to a dramatic increase in Google's revenue. This leads to the topic of "surveillance capitalism", which claims to be a private human experience but can be turned into fabricated human behavior, which is utilized by businesses because they want to know our future behaviors. Again, this is another topic that puts an individual's online security and identity at risk.

The power AI has overseas really concerns me. The Frontline video touched on the surveillance systems in China, they’re on a mission to deploy over 6 million cameras, including on every street. China's government is authoritative so this doesn't shock me, but their data mining capabilities are concerning. The video even had a section about U.S. surveillance and monitoring systems. This of course is in-home computers, cameras, speakers, and voice-activated systems. These are all optional systems which I stray away from because I think they're very intrusive and gather too much personal information, making room for security and identity risk. Circling back to China, one aspect of their surveillance system really surprised me. In the northwest region of China, a group of people called the Uighurs reside there. Through surveillance, the Chinese government and authorities determine if individuals are prone to terrorism and send them to re-education camps. In a way, our government surveils who browses dangerous ideas and concepts as well. But it is frightening seeing the surveillance power China wields and what they do with it. 

I felt informed about the rise of AI by watching the Frontline video, but it left me with privacy concerns. So much information about myself is left behind simply by performing a Google search. The surveillance tools have the potential to do great things in the right hands, but I don't foresee great outcomes with this technology in the wrong hands.

EOTO #1 Reaction

My classmates shared in-depth presentations teaching me the timeline of communication technologies. This experience was informative, as I learned of problems the new technology solved or even problems it created. The inventions that stood out to me most were the Carrying Pigeons, YouTube, Television, and Bluetooth. These are the inventions that I will touch on in this blog post. 

I was surprised to see carrying pigeons as a form of communication because it's such an ancient communication style. At the time, the pigeons were the fastest way to get messages from point A to B, this solved the issue of message sending. The carrying pigeons were named the "King's Angels" because the wealthy originally used this method. The King's Angels were used by Ancient Egypt, The Roman Empire, The Middle East, and the British Royal Family. When this was presented to me in class it left me wondering how the pigeons knew where to deliver the message, and how the right person received a message. The carrying pigeon presentation was a flash from the past that I enjoyed learning about.

Learning about YouTube was cool because it became popular while I was growing up. At the time I didn't realize how much YouTube changed the video world. YouTube allowed people to find any video, at any time. This made sharing and watching videos a lot easier. This presentation reminded me a lot of my late childhood which was a fun experience.

The impact of the television invention was revolutionary. I appreciated learning about the history of the invention, and what it took to create the television. The television revolutionized communication because it brought real-time events into homes. It was interesting to hear the speaker touch on the negative effects of the television. They talked about how television sparked debates on content regulation and parental supervision. This topic then faced many laws and regulations pertaining to what was appropriate to stream. This is interesting because this is an issue society still faces today.

Lastly, the invention of Bluetooth sparked my attention. How Bluetooth actually works, has always fascinated me, so I appreciated learning the history behind it. I was supprised to learn that the concept of Bluetooth actually started with short range radio connections. I connected with the negatives of this device, the significant battery drainage and range limitations. These are factors that are getting better through development but could always be better. 

Learning about the history and impact of communication technologies was an inviting experience. I was able to connect with the inventions of Carrying Pigeons, YouTube, Television, and Bluetooth because they connected to my current knowledge, curiousity or experiences.

EOTO: Invention of the Radio

Society uses cell phones to receive news, entertainment, and connect. Before the cell phone was the radio. In this post, I will write about the history and impact of the radio. The intent behind creating the radio was to improve communication, especially for ships overseas. This invention grew into something much greater and connected the American people through media. Although the radio improved the American lifestyle, some negative effects came with it. Before the radio was the wireless telegraph invented by Guglielmo Marconi, who kickstarted the invention of the radio. 

In 1916 the first radio with tuners was created by Ernst Alexanderson. Before the radio, we had telegraphs and the telephone. Although Alexanderson invented the radio tuner, the father of the wireless telegraph, Guglielmo Marconi, is known for creating the first radio. Many world events were happening around the time of the invention of the radio. In 1912 the Titanic sank and in 1914 World War I began. The radio was heavily relied upon by ships to send distress signals. When the Titanic sank, the issue of the radio only capable of receiving a single, limited frequency became apparent. In an attempt to take action, legislation passed the Radio Act of 1912. This sent the job of regulating the radio to the Department of Commerce. The department's job was to regulate frequencies, by assigning people times to use the radio. Then During World War I, radio control was passed to the Navy. So, many issues came from only having one frequency on the radio. It became very limiting.

Ernst Alexanderson solved the problem of limited radio frequency with the invention of tuners. With the addition of tuning, radio users could now broadcast on multiple frequencies. This invention led to the emergence of broadcast stations and jumpstarted the media world. Frank Conrad founded the first broadcasting station, KDKA. This broadcast connected people worldwide and significantly impacted American life, by providing media consisting of politics, entertainment, music, sports, and news. For many the radio was the fastest and most reliable news source. KDKA had its own important moments in history. Overall, in the 1920s America was booming with many milestones such as Industrialization, Civil Rights, Immigration, and Early Radio Programs. Ernst's invention of the radio brought the nation together at the time of these milestones.

Media and Communication among Americans soon significantly improved from radio networks. The Radio Networks we know and see today, ABC, NBC Red and Blue, AT&T, and CBS were created. The FCC provides an informative timeline of radio networks. In 1938, a significant event occurred, The War of the Worlds stream. Essentially, The War of the Worlds stream was a fake alien sighting. It holds importance because it made society panic and showed how much of an impact the media can have. Media impact is something that we still see today in society. At the time of the creation of the radio, propaganda was another negative effect of the invention. Many political leaders used the radio to spread misinformation and propaganda during World War II. A positive political leader, President Franklin Roosevelt, conducted Fireside Chats. The purpose of these chats was to combat all the negative spreading propaganda and connect with the American people as sort of a family approach. Roosevelt gained a healthy relationship with the American people through his Fireside Chats.

   

The invention of the radio comes with great history and impact. Ernst Alexanderson's invention of radio tuners solved the problem of limited frequency and allowed for quality communication. Broadcasting stations emerged and KDKA was born to connect the American people during the milestone that was the 1920's. Shortly after, radio networks emerged, and the negative effects of media appeared as leaders took advantage of the system and spread propaganda and fake news. Overall, the radio holds significance of the birth of media in America.