Computer-vision modules are being embedded in appliances and toys to sense human behavior

Evidence

Companies such as Qualcomm, Intel, and ARM are developing tiny, always-on, low-power computer vision modules that can be added to any device, such as your phone or refrigerator, or any surface. A Qualcomm executive says that appliances and toys can know what’s going on around them: “A doll could detect when a child’s face turns toward it.” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 752

Categorization

• SHARE: The Qualcomm doll quote is worth sending to anyone working on IoT privacy or surveillance-capitalism policy.
• XREF: connects to: Programming perception through technical devices leads to programming behavior — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 210; “Smart” objects are euphemisms for the extraction of behavioral data. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 747; Everyday consumer objects are being redesigned as behavioral data sources — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 748 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• AI-enabled toys will reshape children’s play experiences and learning. #expands (0.72) — Joanna Stern, I Am Not a Robot- My Year Using AI to…, 1251