Blending Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence Raises Privacy … – Fagen wasanni

By analyzing the movements of individuals wearing virtual reality (VR) headsets, researchers have demonstrated that a machine learning model can accurately predict personal data such as height, weight, age, marital status, and more. This highlights the potential privacy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in VR, as personal data can be guessed without users explicitly disclosing it.

In a study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, researchers were able to identify a specific individual among over 50,000 other VR users with over 94% accuracy after analyzing just 200 seconds of motion data. In another study, researchers accurately determined a persons height, weight, foot size, and country with more than 80% accuracy using data from 1,000 players of the VR game Beat Saber. Additionally, personal information like marital status, employment status, and ethnicity could be identified with more than 70% accuracy.

To analyze the data, the researchers employed a machine learning model that processed uploaded data from VR headsets, such as eye and hand movements. The model could easily identify factors like age, gender, ethnicity, and country. More nuanced information, including income level, disability status, health status, and even political preference, could also be inferred.

VR headsets capture data that traditional websites or apps cannot, such as gaze, body language, body proportions, and facial expressions. This combination of data intensifies privacy concerns and raises additional issues beyond those faced by conventional platforms.

Meta Platforms Inc., a major VR headset manufacturer, uses machine learning to fill in gaps in its knowledge of users, particularly since Apple limited the amount of data that can be tracked on its iPhones. VR headsets, therefore, represent an opportunity for Meta to collect more data to improve ad targeting and revenue generation through advertising.

Protecting privacy in VR headsets is challenging due to the necessity of collecting data like eye and hand movements. Encryption and limiting stored data are potential solutions, but companies producing VR headsets have incentives to collect information for marketing purposes.

Privacy controls and consumer awareness are currently inadequate in the VR space. The capabilities of AI, coupled with limited understanding of the technology among users and regulators, pose significant challenges for individuals to protect their privacy effectively.

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Blending Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence Raises Privacy ... - Fagen wasanni