Kozminski Techblog

Have you ever noticed that when you say something to your friends or  family, you get an advert for the subject you were talking about. Do you think that it is a coincidence or someone hears you from your phone? There’s a reason this is happening, but “listening” is probably not it. So how does Facebook or Instagram know everything?

Talking about something and seeing a digital ad for it. Thinking about something and seeing a digital ad for it. Even dreaming about something and seeing a digital ad for it. Peoples’ collective experiences like these have led many to ask the question, “Is technology listening to us?” It’s a question that has been blatantly posed to social media leaders like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Adam Mosseri (Instagram). Time and time again, they have adamantly denied the fact that their apps are “listening” to users via smartphone microphones and the like.The general consensus among industry experts is that they are telling the truth. For one, doing so would be illegal. Secondly, the logistics of actively listening to, recording and storing conversations just don’t make sense when you really think about it.

No, Facebook didn’t hear your conversation. They are just so good at tracking you in other ways that it can feel that way. We know that Facebook surveys our online behaviors: what websites we visit, what terms we search for, what we purchase online, etc. These tracking methods (which get extremely sophisticated beyond what we’re describing here) have a direct influence on the ads that we see. 

The big question for me is: Are the social media giants able to read what we write in messaging apps WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messages? These are all owned by Facebook, so the question could be raised: Although the messages transmitted over some of these services are, or can be, encrypted to protect them from eavesdropping by third parties (such as law enforcement or authoritarian governments), can the service operators still read message contents to enhance the targeting of ads to their users?

Whatever is going on, their individual, unique, “gold-dust-like” algorithms are impressive, and no one really knows how they work, or what they really know about us.

What should we do to protect our data?

If you’re concerned about your phone “listening to you”, there are several steps you can take to safeguard your privacy. First, review the app permissions on your phone. Both Android and iOS allow you to see which apps have access to your microphone. Go through these apps and disable microphone access for any app where it isn’t necessary. Next, consider turning off “Hey Siri” or “OK Google” detection. These features are constantly listening for your voice commands, and while they’re designed to only process audio locally on your device, turning them off can prevent accidental recordings or unintended listening.Another step is to disable microphone access in your phone’s settings for social media apps. While these apps claim they don’t listen to conversations, granting them less access can provide peace of mind.

Conclusion

While seeing an ad for something you just discussed might seem creepy, rest assured your phone isn’t eavesdropping. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are simply masters of data collection. They track your online activity – websites visited, searches made, even purchases – and use sophisticated algorithms to build a detailed profile of your interests. This allows them to serve highly targeted ads, creating the illusion that they’re somehow reading your mind.

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How do you think people buy the new Iphones because of the brand and status or the price is justified? People are ready to give away their savings and last money for these expensive and well-branded phones. It’s time to evaluate the quality of new iphones and decide if it really costs that money. 

In the last 14 years, Apple has changed the market with its revolutionary products. From day one, they were selling more units than any other phone on the market and had been dominating the industry ever since. An iPhone can be costly upfront, and if you decide to purchase a newer model every year or two, it can add up very quickly.

Current prices on the last models :

• iPhone 13 256GB: $699
• iPhone 14 256GB: $799
• iPhone 15 256GB: $899

Whether or not new iPhones are worth the investment is a subjective matter that depends on individual needs, preferences, and budget constraints. However, there are several factors to consider when making this decision:

• Ease of use: Apple phones are known for their ease of use. Their usability comes from simple operating logic: all the apps are launched from the home screen. All the settings, for example, can be found under one menu. And even if you upgrade your iPhone to the newest model, the operating system still works the same way and taking it into use is easy.
• Ecosystem Integration:If you use other Apple products like a Mac or an iPad, owning an iPhone can help streamline your digital life. The devices are designed to work seamlessly together, making it easy to transfer files, share information, and stay connected across all your devices.

• The best quality of photo and video: Sometimes people get the Apple products just because of the camera and I, as a user of these phones, can confidently agree that the camera is worth that price. Phones have different options to transform your video of a view from the window to the moment from the film. (Especially iphones pro version)
• “Environmentally friendly”: Many companies have a tendency now to create something ecological, so the Iphone decided not to pack with phone things like the block for charging or headphones (basically they were in the younger models). It is very funny because people still need to charge their phones and pay extra money for separated blocks. So you should be ready that after the happiness of the new mobile phone you have to go and again spend your money.

In my opinion,  maybe the products of Apple are a little bit overpriced but they are still durable and well designed. It is not necessary to buy every new model every year (like some people usually do), but by buying this phone once, you might be confident that you will forget about thinking of a new device for at least 4 years.

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Today, we will discuss the AI technology utilized by Google Meet known as Duet AI. Currently, there are several useful features available. For instance, you can generate background images with the help of artificial intelligence by using the “Generate a background” prompt on Google Meet. This feature allows you to create various illustrations, such as a magical forest. Also, Duet AI in Meet helps you look your best with a studio look that turns a low-quality image into studio quality. Another remarkable feature is the real-time translated captions, which allow you to have meetings in multiple languages. This can help communicate with participants who speak different languages.

The more interesting news is that recently Google announced that their new AI will be able to go to meetings for you. 

One of the biggest new AI-enabled features is the ability for Google’s Duet AI to take notes in real time: click “take notes for me,” and the app will capture a summary and action items as the meeting is going on. If you’re late to a meeting, Google will be able to show you a mid-meeting summary so that you can catch up on what happened. During the call, you’ll be able to talk privately with a Google chatbot to go over details you might have missed. And when the meeting is over, you can save the summary to Docs and come back to it after the fact; it can even include video clips of important moments.Microsoft and Zoom also clearly think this is a good idea: they’ve rolled out AI-powered meeting summaries of their own. But the recaps will only be useful if they can accurately capture what happened during a meeting, and given that AI is prone to making mistakes, Google might have a lot to prove to earn that trust. 

Another new Meet feature lets Duet “attend” a meeting on your behalf. On a meeting invite, you can click an “attend for me” button, and Google can auto-generate some text about what you might want to discuss. Those notes will be viewable to attendees during the meeting so that they can discuss them.

In summary, Google’s new features in Google Meet are really changing the way we do meetings. With Duet AI, Google is making meetings easier by taking notes and even going to meetings for us. This is exciting but also makes us think about how much we can rely on AI for our work. As we start using these new tools, it’s important to remember the balance between using technology and keeping a human touch in our meetings.

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“The Matrix Awakens” is a tech demo created by Unreal Engine and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to showcase the power of the next-generation Unreal Engine 5. “The Matrix Awakens” is a visually stunning interactive experience set in the iconic world of “The Matrix” film franchise. 

As for the city in The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, it’s a living, breathing environment that never stops. Because the systems that drive its actors are part of a global simulation that is evaluated continuously, the activity that takes place in the city is far more consistent and believable. Block after block, it ticks with photo realistic AI-driven characters and vehicles—whether you’re looking at them or not. It provides a glimpse into what future video games and virtual experiences could look like.

One  popular blogger, who makes content on YouTube is trying a demo-version of this game. The video has become viral very quickly, because he clearly shows how AI is working in the game. The man speaks to the NPC (None Playable Character), which are controlled by AI, and asks them some questions. One of the most interesting question was “Did you know that you are living in the simulation?”.  Some people recognize their being in the simulation, but most of them think that they are real people in the real world. Here are some examples of their responses concerning this question:

“Oh no, I hope that’s not true but even if it is, I’ll still keep exploring and making the most of my time here”

“I don’t care if it’s real or not, just leave me alone”

“What are you talking about? This is real life! Wake up and smell the coffee”

“I’m just a program running on someone else’s computer”

He also asks questions like what they are doing the whole day in the city, do they have jobs, family, what are their hobbies. It was so delightful to watch how many different answers there are. In my opinion, the game definitely shows the future of the gaming industry.

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Artificial Intelligence has made a valuable contribution to the beauty industry, revolutionizing various aspects of the business, from product development to customer experience. There are many ways that AI software can be used in a beauty salon to optimize operations. Here are a few examples:

•    Skin analysis: customer’s skin can be analyzed, and the best treatments or products can be recommended for their specific needs. 
•   Appointment scheduling: Modern software can be used to automate appointment scheduling, allowing customers to book and manage their appointments online easily. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors in scheduling. 
•   Virtual try-on: AI software can be used to provide customers with a virtual try-on experience, allowing them to see how different hairstyles or makeup looks would look on them before deciding on a treatment. This can increase customer satisfaction and reduce the risk of dissatisfaction with the result.
•   Analysis of customer feedback: analyzing customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and better understand customer preferences.

It is also important to know some cons of using AI in the beauty industry. For instance, smart AI analysis, enabled by facial recognition technology involves the storage and processing of large amounts of data. This creates security risks, as beauty brands need to ensure that. Algorithmic errors are also popular occasions that may lead to customer dissatisfaction because tasks such as color matching or skincare recommendations might be done not very accurately.

Some of beauty brands that use AI:

L’Oréal’s ModiFace 

ModiFace technology powers virtual try-on experiences, allowing users to test different makeup products through AR applications.

HiMirror

Smart mirror that utilizes facial recognition to analyze the user’s skin condition, providing personalized skincare recommendations. It assesses factors such as wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, and pores.

SkinVision

A helpful skin cancer detection app that uses AI to analyze photos of moles and other skin lesions. It can help customers detect potential skin cancer early to seek treatment as soon as possible.

To summarize, the application of AI in the beauty industry has given beauty salon owners a new level of customer service, marketing, and advertising resources they would not have had access to otherwise. Now, they can rely on artificial intelligence to provide their customers with what they need – a full range of services tailored to their needs and preferences.

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