Navigating the Privacy Landscape of AI on the Devices: Challenges and Best Practices

While artificial intelligence based technologies are gaining traction and are delivered on our personal devices, user data privacy is a key consideration for developing the technologies. Personal devices including mobile, wearable, and smart home devices are equipped with a variety of user and sensor data (camera, microphone, and motion sensors) that, on one hand, can provide extraordinary opportunities for personalizing user experience, while on the other hand, can reveal extremely sensitive information about the user. Therefore, it is crucial to establish clear privacy guidelines for the responsible use of sensitive device and sensor data for AI development. In this talk, we explore the intricate relationship between device-specific AI and privacy considerations. We examine the unique challenges posed by device and sensor based AI models, spanning from data collection and usage transparency to model security and user control. In this talk, we present frameworks and guidelines that can help organizations and developers responsibly handle user data while harnessing the power of device-specific AI.

Authors: Tousif Ahmed, Mina Askari, and Joe Genereux, Devices and Services team at Google