Would you allow Apple to listen to your conversations? No, I'm not about to start espousing theories about your phone secretly recording you (but seriously, how did Google ads know I needed a new car battery?). But according to new reports, Apple is experimenting with using AI to record and summarise your Genius Bar appointments.
According to everybody's favourite Apple leaker Mark Gurman, a new pilot scheme titled 'Live Notes' is being pitched a time-saving tool for Apple Store employees, with a transcription of the chat being stored in the repair record.
Both the customer and the employee will apparently have to opt-in to the scheme. But despite this, Gurman says the plan has "sparked concern" among Apple Store retail staff, who "worry that recordings could eventually be used to coach workers or factor into performance reviews." But Apple has indicated that the recordings themselves "won’t be saved and managers don’t receive the transcripts".
Still, it's easy to see why the concept is causing concern, as an AI tool that could possibly, potentially, just maybe, one day be used for surveillance purposes.
A Reddit page for Apple Store employees reveals something of the sentiment among staff. "If this is used to protect our team members against “he said she said”. Great. If this is used to coach team members, then no I hate it," one employee comments. Another adds, "I won’t change how I do anything, if they fire me for it, fantastic."
