EERIE DEMO BY HARVARD STUDENTS SHOWS HOW SMART GLASSES CAN INSTANTLY DOX YOU WITH SIMPLE FACIAL RECOGNITION TECH!
An I-XRAY technology recently developed in the halls of Harvard University foreshadows a significant shake-up in how we perceive and appreciate technologically driven, smart environments. Two enterprising Harvard students, AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, have successfully created a technology where Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses mingle with facial recognition to identify individuals' identities, addresses, and phone numbers—all in real time.
This ingenious piece of technology operates by livestreaming video to Instagram from the smart glasses. A computer program then watches over the stream, with AI playing the critical role of identifying faces. It does not end there. The faces are then fed into accessible databases to harvest personal information, which is then sent back to the user via a smartphone app.
Before you delve into the unnerving possibilities this technology presents, be assured that Nguyen and Ardayfio have created I-XRAY not for misuse or public release. Their primary objective is to highlight the vast possibilities that existing technology can achieve. They're shooting an arrow of awareness into society's conscience, aiming for us to understand where our technology is leading us.
What sets I-XRAY apart is the way it functions; it operates automatically by leveraging large language models (LLMs) to form connections between names and photos gleaned from massive data resources. In essence, this is a prime example of how artificial intelligence has matured to handle the herculean task of stitching together minuscule data points into a cohesive pattern.
Nevertheless, the introduction of I-XRAY has agitated concerns about the misuse of smart glasses. There's already significant backlash about privacy issues as smart glasses have raised understandable apprehensions about being unwittingly recorded in public places. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses used in the initial demonstration appear routine. However, they possess a small, and often inconspicuous, recording light.
Meta, quite aware of the potential abuses of I-XRAY technology, has warned its users to respect other individuals' prerogatives and clearly communicate intentions to record videos. But, given human nature's propensity to exploit complex systems for personal gain, there is no iron-clad guarantee that everyone will heed the company's advice.
Given this technological proximity to our privacy bubble, the pertinent question arises - can we entirely erase our online presence? In reality, that may not be an easily attainable goal. However, one can take proactive steps to ensure that personal data remains less accessible in the public domain. Efforts can be made to opt-out of reverse face search and people search databases.
The invention of I-XRAY technology implicates a critical junction for technology and society. It pushes us to reevaluate how we interact with our digital environment and how we safeguard our personal privacy amidst the relentless march of futuristic technology. This transformative tech moment nudges us all towards a debate on balancing the virtues of technological advances against the ensuing threats to our privacy. And how we figure this out today will help to define the future of not just AI and smart technologies, but also the microcosmic world of privacy around us.