AI - does it present more questions than opportunities?

I love digital. I love the possibilities it brings to my role as a digital specialist - the fun, the challenges and the pace of learning are non-stop!

I wear many hats when it comes to all things technology related.

I'm a professional who is a passionate advocate of all things digital. I am also a parent to mini digital enthusiasts; and I am a consumer of a plethora of digital products and services.

The pace at which technology is advancing means that "digital" is an incredibly exciting space to work in. This pace brings challenges for businesses to stay up to date with those advances - and for my peers and I as advisors to those businesses.

These advances in technology may well present potentially even bigger challenges for me as a parent and/or consumer.

Retargeting, personalisation, automation, chat bots, AI - the advances are startling and exciting. But some events and advances recently have caused alarm bells to ring in my naturally curious mind...

Facebook's recent malaise over the abuse of personal data caused shock waves amongst its users, in the digital industry and ultimately in the financial markets.

Facebook Messenger Bots have gone from "zero to hero" in a matter of months (along with some eye watering/hyperbolic claims about open rates vs more "traditional" digital channels - such as email). Love them or hate them; they are here to stay.

AI is on the rise - which presents mind boggling opportunities in the digital space. Everyone has surely seen the recent Google Duplex demonstration of a virtual assistant (which was almost completely impossible to differentiate from a real person).

In study released last week conducted by the University of Plymouth, it was suggested that children are more likely to be influenced by robots than adults.

Let's consider AI specifically. Some of the clunky implementations of AI used for marketing automation I have experienced to date have been poor. For example, I got an email (from a bot) last week who claimed that we had "just briefly met".

As a digital specialist there is something that does not sit well with me when a machine is personified. And as a consumer, the instance highlighted above came across as a bit bizarre.

However, there is no doubt that AI is here to stay and the advances in technology will continue apace as its implementation is fine tuned across a range of channels.

But these advances raise as many questions as they offer new and interesting solutions.

When the line between interacting with a human being and a machine becomes blurred - should we have the "right to know" that we are interacting with a machine rather than a human being - especially given that in some point in the not too distant future we are unlikely to be able to tell the difference?

And if we are to have a "right to know" - then practically; how can this be implemented?

And as parents - how should advances in AI and our roles as guardians of digital consumers of the future, impact children using AI led services?

There is no doubt that advances in AI open up a whole new world to anyone working in the world of advising clients on digital solutions. And as consumers and parents there are a whole new raft of experiences for us coming down the line that will be life changing.

But, with this new technology comes responsibility.

As marketers, digital specialists and advisors to the businesses we work with - we should always seek to ensure technology is used by our clients responsibly.

As parents we should always on the look out for risks to our children when using technology - I personally want my kids to embrace it but I want us all to be aware of the risks. Right now the risks associated with AI for children are still unknown.

And as a consumer I'm half giddy with excitement and half concerned about the impact these advances will have given the recent spotlight on issues around misuse of personal data.

As the technology continues to advance, so too will the opportunities for us as digital specialists to offer innovative and creative solutions to our our clients.

But so too might the risks to us a consumers and as parents to the consumers of the future.

Let me know what you think - do we need the "right to know" as advances in AI technology continue?

And if so, how as consumers can we expect to be able to exercise that right?

And what are the main things we need to be aware of as parents as AI technology evolves?

I'd love to get your comments below. If you'd like to discuss this or any other digital requirements/conundrums over a coffee or on the phone, drop me a line at [email protected] and we'll set it up.