Are you using AI Writers like Caktus AI to help you write papers? Do you know what data has been used by the writer and whether it will introduce bias into your writing? How much do you know about your tools and what the AI company will do with the information you generate? I thought about this and decided to write some thoughts down.
Considering the possible risks of using AI writers like Caktus AI, get the facts about the AI Writers you’re using and ensure your writing is free from bias. Also, read the company’s privacy policy to understand how they use your data.
This article discusses the privacy risks of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) writers. AI can improve the accuracy and speed of writing papers, but it also comes with risks. Several privacy issues are associated with AI, such as exposing personal data, the potential for bias and abuse of data, the risk of spillover data, and the threat of AI manipulation. This article examines these issues and suggests ways to protect against privacy violations.
Let’s start with an introduction to Caktus AI for those unfamiliar with this new company. You can find even more information on Caktus AI if you are interested.
What is Caktus AI
Caktus is a new AI-based tool created by a former University of Notre Dame football player to help students with assignments and projects. Caktus AI can produce essays, solve mathematical problems, and write code. It is user-friendly and can be used to create original and unique content in seconds.
The Caktus AI platform has various features such as an essay generator, code generator, problem-solving feature, flashcard feature, excuse generator for late to class, career-related questions, and much more.
What are the Privacy issues of AI Writers?
Privacy issues with AI writers are multifaceted and complex. Privacy issues arise when organizations or people have unauthorized access to personal data or use information retrieved in data breaches. Privacy issues also extend to the unethical use of AI technologies that utilize this data. More specifically, considerations arise in AI and privacy, such as data usage when training the AI, the potential for abuse and injection of bias, and safeguards against privacy violations.
Writers should ensure that the datasets used for their AI-generated works or AI writers abide by data privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the US.
The nature of the data collected and used to create AI algorithms is a vital privacy consideration, and using this data raises further concerns. One aspect of AI which sets it apart from traditional data processing is its ability to ‘learn’ from the data it collects. What is learned allows the AI to extrapolate and interpret information potentially more accurately than is possible with manual data processing. This learning also enables AI algorithms to build a more detailed picture of a person or group of people, making it easier for organizations to target specific audiences and create personalized services.
One has to ask themselves, is accurate extrapolated data generated from an AI about an individual still considered private? In other words, is the generated data considered private if an AI generates accurate information about an individual that would otherwise be regarded as confidential from a collection of authorized data?
This also means that greater use of personal information could lead to privacy abuse or unwanted profiling. To limit the potential misuse of personal data by AI, organizations should develop ethical frameworks of use and design AI algorithms with privacy in mind; this includes conducting privacy assessments, testing the results, and putting safeguards in place.
AI also poses the risk of ‘spillover’ data, where personal data is inadvertently collected from unrelated sources such as social networks or websites. This data can be used to build a more detailed picture of someone without their knowledge or consent and could therefore breach privacy regulations. To protect against potential privacy violations, organizations should be aware of the potential for spillover data and have a clear protocol to manage it.
Finally, artificial intelligence can be used to manipulate democracy, as seen with the use of data-driven psychographic profiling by Cambridge Analytica. To protect against potential interference in democracies, organizations should consider implementing appropriate laws and regulations that adequately protect individuals’ privacy rights and freedoms in the AI processing of personal data.
There are also ethical dilemmas posed by AI when it uses data to make decisions or inferences, which could result in bias. This could include decisions and predictions about an individual that are not based on accurate information and may lead to discriminatory outcomes. AI algorithms should be designed with fairness and transparency to reduce the risk of bias.
AI writers pose several privacy issues, including using personal data, the potential for bias and abuse of data, the risk of spillover data, and the threat of artificial intelligence manipulation. Organizations must know these issues and implement appropriate measures to protect individuals from potential privacy violations.
Things to Consider when Assessing Privacy Risks
- AI poses a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms in the AI processing of personal data.
- Privacy considerations with AI are different than data privacy in general.
- AI can replicate, reinforce, or amplify harmful biases.
- AI can enable data collection without consent.
- AI can increase the power, speed, and granularity of the analysis of personal information.
- AI can be used for mass surveillance and facial recognition.
- AI can be used to manipulate democracy’s levers.
- AI can be biased in its algorithms, leading to false positives and negatives.
- AI can introduce spillover effects.
- Privacy legislation may be needed to protect individuals against the adverse effects of personal information used in AI.
Will AI Make Us Dumber?
The advent of Artificial Intelligence has caused some people to worry that the technology will make us dumber over time. In its current form, AI is just a tool, much like a calculator or Google, and can help us solve problems more quickly and efficiently. However, as technology advances, AI has the potential to become capable of advanced humanlike thinking and decision-making. Overreliance could lead to an over-reliance on AI, with humans relying too heavily on AI-assisted decisions rather than thinking for themselves. This could be especially detrimental in creative professions, where humans must think outside the box to develop new ideas and solutions.
Education is critical to avoiding this problem- humans should be educated on the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI so that they know when to trust AI-assisted decisions and when to think for themselves. In the long run, people will still look to human-generated content like we sell physical books alongside electronic copies.
In my opinion, the real danger is relying solely on automated processes that lead to an over-reliance and lack of critical thinking, leading to a potential ‘dumbing down’ of a person’s intelligence. This is because, when presented with an AI-supported decision, an individual may take the AI’s recommendation at face value and, if the decision is wrong, can end up with a worse result than if the individual had thought it through for themselves. Furthermore, without having the constant challenge of critical thinking, people may lose the ability to apply their cognitive skills and think for themselves efficiently.
While we wait for full-blown general intelligence to emerge, current developments in AI may need “human-supervised” systems where a human and AI come together to form a more robust arrangement, with the human providing the upper-level thinking and the AI providing the data processing. This could lead to more successful decision-making and outcomes while allowing a human to take the lead regarding critical, long-term thinking.
While it is impossible to say definitively whether AI will make us dumber, caution should be taken to ensure that humans don’t become too reliant on AI-assisted decisions. With the right approach, AI can help to make life more accessible. It is essential always to remember that humans need to maintain their ability to think critically and independently. This mindset should be encouraged when we are young.
Privacy Policy of Caktus AI
This brings us to Caktus AI’s privacy. This is a summary of Caktus AI’s privacy policies. Refer to their website for details. I encourage anyone interested to read it. Caktus AI is transparent regarding its data policies. I’ve done my best to summarize the critical sections, but you must read the policy to understand its details.
Payment Services
Caktus AI states that when users need to pay for services, their credit card or other payment account information is collected and processed by third-party payment processors that adhere to security standards. These processors may collect personal information from the user, encrypted on secure servers. Their respective privacy policies cover the Payment Processors’ use of personal information.
Automatic Collection of Data
When a user visits Caktus AI’s website or uses the mobile application, their servers automatically record data such as the user’s IP address, device name, version, browser, and operating system. This information is used to identify cases of abuse and provide statistical information such as page visits, search information, and access times and dates. This collected data is not linked to any particular user of the services.
Collection of Personal Information
Suppose you decide to use Caktus AI’s services. In that case, you may be asked to provide personal information, such as your name, email address, contact information, proof of identity, payment information, geolocation data, biometric information, and other materials you willingly submit. Caktus AI may collect this information from other sources, such as public databases, third-party data providers, social media platforms, and their joint partners. Caktus AI does allow users to choose not to provide personal information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of some of the features of the Services.
Privacy of Children
Caktus AI says they take special precautions to protect the privacy of children under 13 and asks that parents and legal guardians monitor their children’s Internet usage to ensure that their Personal Information is not disclosed without their permission.
Use and Processing of Collected Information
Caktus AI states for users in the European Economic Area, the legal basis for collecting and using the personal information described in this Privacy Policy is Article 6 (1)(b) & (f) of the EU GDPR- that they must process data for a contract we have with the users or to take steps to enter into a contract; as well as Article 6(1)(c) to comply with a legal obligation; and Article 6(1)(a), that users have given consent to the processing of their data for one or more specific purposes.
However, Caktus AI says In certain circumstances, they may also collect and (where appropriate) process Personal Information about the user if they have a legitimate interest in doing so and your data protection rights do not override such legitimate interest. Legitimate interest relating to their use of their Personal Information may include supporting and improving Caktus AI’s services, defending them against legal claims, and complying with applicable laws.
Payment Processing
Sensitive and private data is kept secure through an SSL-secured communication channel. In contrast, payment data is only shared with the Payment Processor to the extent needed to process and handle payments and associated complaints and queries. Payment Processors may collect personal information required to process payments, such as credit card details or bank account numbers, and store this data in encrypted form on secure servers when necessary for processing future or recurring payments. Privacy policies of the Payment Processors will govern their use of personal information, and users are encouraged to review these policies.
Disclosure of Information
The company’s policy on disclosure states that it may share personal information with its subsidiaries and service providers to provide services. They will only share information with organizations whose privacy policies are compatible with their own or who agree to follow their policies concerning personal information. The types of service providers they may share information with include advertising networks, affiliate programs, cloud computing services, data analytics services, financial services, government agencies, payment processors, user authentication services, and website hosting service providers. The company may also disclose any personal information required or permitted by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process. Finally, if there is a business transition, such as a merger, their personal information, including user accounts, likely will be transferred.
Retention and Transfer
Caktus will keep the user’s personal information as long as necessary to comply with their legal obligations as long as the user’s account is active. Once the retention period expires, personal information is deleted, and any aggregated data derived from or incorporating the same will no longer be connected to your identity.
If necessary, Caktus AI will transfer a user’s personal information to countries outside the European Union for various reasons, such as your explicit consent or for legal reasons. The customer is entitled to know the legal basis for such transfers and the security measures to protect your data.
Caktus AI complies with GDPR and California privacy acts. For users residing in those regions, refer to Caktus AI’s web page for more details. I won’t go into details on other policies, but needless to say, information regarding; how to exercise a user’s data rights, use of data analytics, do not track signals, reverse engineering, advertisements, social media features, email marketing, push notifications, affiliate links, information security, and data breach are included on the website. I encourage you to read them before signing up with Caktus AI.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although AI writers offer exciting capabilities, their use comes with complex and sometimes-overlapping privacy issues. Organizations need to be aware of these issues and take precautionary measures to ensure the privacy and safety of individuals. In particular, organizations must provide those training datasets and AI algorithms designed to process personal data and abide by data privacy regulations such as the GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws in their respective countries.
Based on the completeness of Caktus AI’s privacy page, they take a user’s privacy rights and data protection seriously. Their website provides detailed information on how your data is collected, used, and shared, as well as your rights as a customer. It is always essential for users to review the privacy policies of any website or service they use, as new regulations may be in place to protect their data.
We also discussed the potential effects of Artificial Intelligence on human intelligence. If humans become too reliant on AI, it could lead to a ‘dumbing down’ development and loss of critical thinking skills. It is, therefore, essential to understanding both the opportunities and potential pitfalls of leveraging AI.
Maybe it’s a great time to use your critical thinking and decision-making power to review Caktus AI’s privacy policy for yourself and see if you are comfortable exchanging access to your data for the power of Caktus AI’s applications.
