Artificial Intelligence: Are Our Phones Actually Listening To Us?

Artificial intelligence – it’s everywhere. While it might seem like AI is isolated to applications such as ChatGPT and other recently developed applications, it’s actually far more common than you might think. 

So, how often are we actually using artificial intelligence? Well, according to Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin, most of us are interacting with AI multiple times a day. 

Apparently, a majority of the population use AI from the moment they wake up, until the moment they go to sleep at night. 

“It starts with waking up in the morning. And one of the first things many of us do, whether it’s good or not, is reach for our phones,” Evrim said. 

“One of the first things you’re likely to have to do with your phone is unlock it and some people have Face ID. 

“Not everyone has this enabled, but it’s an additional security measure to make sure only you can access your phone. And Face ID is, you guessed it, an AI.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg, because then comes our daily scroll through our favourite social media apps. 

“It’s no surprise to a lot of people that AI algorithms are definitely at play here as well,” Evrim said. 

“Social media algorithms literally feed the user content. They rank and feature content on platforms based on how likely an individual is to click on it. 

“It does this by assessing content that you’ve already consumed and training itself on that data to present you with more content that you’re likely to enjoy.”

Okay, so we are using AI fairly regularly on our smartphones, but did you know that most new cars also use AI? 

Dr Sophie Calabretto is joined by Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin who reveals how often we actually interact with AI and whether our phones use AI to manipulate our algorithms. 

Introducing The Science Briefing: a podcast about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. Hosted by Dr Sophie Calabretto and featuring journalists from Cosmos Magazine.