We need to start wrestling with the ethics of AI agents

This future feels far off, but it isn’t. There’s a chance that when we get there, there will be even more pressing and pertinent ethical questions to ask. In the meantime, read more from my piece on AI agents here, and ponder how well you think an AI interviewer could get to know you in two hours.

Deeper Learning

Inside Clear’s ambitions to manage your identity beyond the airport

Clear is the most visible biometrics company around, and one you’ve likely interacted with already, whether passing security checkpoints at airports and stadiums or verifying your identity on LinkedIn. Along the way, it’s built one of the largest private repositories of identity data on the planet, including scans of fingerprints, irises, and faces. A confluence of factors is now accelerating the adoption of identity verification technologies—including AI, of course, as well as the lingering effects of the pandemic’s push toward “contactless” experiences—and Clear aims to be the ubiquitous provider of these services. In the near future, countless situations where you might need an ID or credit card might require no more than showing your face. 

Why this matters: Now that biometrics have gone mainstream, what—and who—bears the cost? Because this convenience, even if chosen by only some of us, leaves all of us wrestling with the effects. If Clear gains ground in its vision, it will move us toward a world where we’re increasingly obligated to give up our biometric data to a system that’s vulnerable to data leaks.  Read more from Eileen Guo.

Bits and Bytes

Inside the booming “AI pimping” industry

Instagram is being flooded with hundreds of AI-generated influencers who are stealing videos from real models and adult content creators, giving them AI-generated faces, and monetizing their bodies with links to dating sites, Patreon, OnlyFans competitors, and various AI apps. (404 Media)

How to protect your art from AI

There is little you can do if your work has already been scraped into a data set, but you can take steps to prevent future work from being used that way. Here are four ways to do that. (MIT Technology Review)