New call for companies to front up over data mining

Kiwi companies should be upfront with customers about what their data-harvesting artificial intelligence programmes do, a new report finds. The review, just published by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ), said these guidelines should be shared with consumers so they could better decide which businesses they chose to deal with. The report also suggested data-trawling AI algorithms should be designed so they could be reviewed by a third party. From smart phones to smart cars, AI has invaded every aspect of our lives, but the hottest field of AI right now was machine learning – the notion of using statistical techniques to help systems learn from data. There was now heightening concern around how own personal information was being collected and used, and not just by global giants like Google and Facebook, but also Government ministries and agencies.