Who's Next After Milo: From Puppies to Police

One thing I want to talk about this week is the Ring Doorbell commercial during the Super Bowl. Now I might be a bit biased because I've always been one who doesn't really idolize animals over humans and all that, but intially I thought the commercial was cute. A nice way to find dogs when they get lost, and very smart. Unfortunately, the thought didn't last too long, and here's why. 

First, the commercial intially showed a lost dog named Milo and how, when he got lost, the Ring cameras found him, and they showed an ecosystem of Ring cameras that use AI. Now this may be biased again because I genuinely can't stand the excessive use of AI espcially for small things. I don't think a doorbell needs advanced AI; that may be a hot take, but it's simply due to my disdain for AI and how I'm not a fan of it. I think this is creepy because the lost dog narrative really makes you think if this camera can pick up a dog on the camera, scan it, and understand that it is that specific dog, that is when it becomes weird because everything is multifunctional and everything has an ulterior motive. 

To expand on this more, if AI can identify and track a specific German Shepard across multiple properties and neighborhoods, it's not far from tracking people in the same way. What stops it from tracking certain people, delivery drivers, neighbors, and others who don't even know their consent and amendment rights are being violated due to these cameras? I would refer to them as a doorbell, but I think we are long past that. 

Instead of the cliche search party aspect and looking for a dog It's this certain dystopian feeling that everyone has a ring camera that gathers pictures, footage, it's almost militant, eerie. Not only is it invasive, but it also doesn't give you a chance to agree to any of this. What if one doesn't want to search for the dog? It doesn't matter because the camera has already started scanning for that dog without an opt-out feature. 

Ring was partnered with FlockSafety, which is a company that uses AI license plate readers for law enforcement. A couple of days ago,o Ring dropped them. In this political claimate I believe that I don't have to expand on why that is simply insane to do espically with how many things have been recorded, and it's just all so exhausting and unexcusable because if we are collaborating with a company that helps Police, how much more time until this pipeline ends up going to the actual police, government agencies, and most of all ICE?

Intially this is very concerning to say the least because there is always going to be a what if or a how long, and while I know the attachment of losing a pet and missing a pet, I believe there are some things that should not be made and invested in. After all, it seems like the picture is always bigger; this is bigger than finding a dog. 

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