From Gmail to Word, your privacy settings and AI in a new relationship [Video]

The beginning of the year is a great time to do some basic cyber hygiene. We’ve all been told to patch, change passwords, and update software. But one concern that has been increasingly creeping to the forefront is the sometimes quiet integration of potentially privacy-invading AI into programs.   

“AI’s rapid integration into our software and services has and should continue to raise significant questions about privacy policies that preceded the AI era,” said Lynette Owens, vice president, global consumer education at cybersecurity company Trend Micro. Many programs we use today — whether it be email, bookkeeping, or productivity tools, and social media and streaming apps — may be governed by privacy policies that lack clarity on whether our personal data can be used to train AI models.

“This leaves all of us vulnerable to uses of our personal information without the appropriate consent. It’s time for every app, website, or …