While some of the bolder predictions for the impact of AI on our lives have not materialized, it would equally be churlish to ignore the way in which the technology now features in many of the products and services we use each day, from dating apps to fitness trackers.
Despite this ubiquity, new research from the Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University suggests that many of us are not appreciative of the role AI is playing in those services.
The researchers highlight that AI is often positioned as a neutral tool, with marketers typically emphasizing its ability to improve efficiency and accuracy. They argue, however, that this often overlooks the social and individual challenges we face when deploying AI in ways that should enhance our lives.
Customer centricty
The researchers argue that firms need to do much more to develop a customer-centric view of AI that doesn’t just focus on its technological capability but also the user experience of customers, and especially the costs and benefits that come with usage.
To this end, they developed a framework that revolves around four key consumer experiences with regards to AI:
- Data capture
- Classification
- Delegation
- Social
These experiences were used to identify the various sociological and psychological tensions involved. For instance, AI is often used to analyze our social media data to personalize the advertising we receive, but this can also raise trust issues among people who feel their data is not being handled sensitively.
“Not only are technology companies continually required to find new ways to make monitoring and surveillance palatable to consumers by linking it to convenience, productivity, safety, or health and well-being, they must also constantly push the boundaries of what private information consumers should share through a complex landscape of notifications, reminders, and nudges intended to initiate behavioral change,” the researchers explain. “Thus, AI can transform consumers into subjects who are complicit in the commercial exploitation of their own private experience.”
The researchers believe that by identifying the pressure points in the customer experience, they can help companies to better design AI services to ensure customer wellbeing is taken into account at each stage of development.
