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Technology is a two edged sward. On the one hand, there is no doubt that it has dramatically improved the lives of billions in countless different ways. On the other, there is no shortage of information showing that widespread use of technology has led to greater mental health issues, a reduction in attention span, the inability to think critically, and of course, a dramatic reduction of privacy.
Many people of a certain age think back longingly of their childhoods before there was a camera in everyone’s pocket and we were all endlessly connected. Kids could go outside and get into all sorts of trouble (I’m not admitting to anything!) and there wouldn’t be any proof of it!
Two Harvard dropouts are working on a new model of smart glasses for their startup, called Halo, that is set to take this to a whole new level.
The glasses will take users to a whole new way of thinking that the founders are calling ‘vibe thinking.’ What that means exactly, who knows. But they say that their glasses will record everything all the time, and feed it into their AI systems. From there, the glasses can provide the wearer with real-time feedback.
If you’re having a conversation with someone about current events, the glasses could give you the latest facts on it. If you run into someone you met a few weeks ago, the glasses could remind you of their name and what you last talked about. And best (or worst) of all, it will remember everything so you can use it in the future.
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In some ways, this seems like a dream. In others, it is an absolute nightmare.
Offloading our ability to think to the computers comes with some very obvious risks. As people think for themselves less and less, they lost the ability.
Then there is the privacy concerns. One major issue that some people are bringing up about these glasses is that there is no indicator light on them to show that they are recording. This means that the people interacting with the user will have no idea that everything they do and say is being recorded. Legal concerns aside, this is a major issue that lots of people are already worried about and the glasses haven’t even been made yet.
Whether Halo is able to create and deliver these glasses, or they come from another company down the road, it is clear that wearable technologies that are always recording and listening will be available in the future. The question is, do people really want it?
Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium
Categories: SCI/TECH
Tags: · ai, artificial intellgence, Halo, Halo glasses, legal, privacy, privacy breach, science, single topic, top, wearable technology