When Do Customers Trust AI-recommendations?

The question of when customers will welcome vs reject an AI recommendation is important from both a practical and a conceptual perspective. From the practical perspective, the answer to this question will inform investment in AI recommendation systems (where to invest, risks faced, AI-system features…). From a conceptual one, the answer reveals the boundary conditions … Continue reading When Do Customers Trust AI-recommendations?

Conversations with AI – Where functional meets emotional value

BBC News has an interesting article about AI, entitled “The AI companions you can have conversations with”. These “AI companions” are a form of conversational AI which, like Alexa, can interact with users through voice recognition and natural language processing. However, unlike Alexa, they can also recognise emotion and use empathy to craft their interactions. … Continue reading Conversations with AI – Where functional meets emotional value

Thoughts on the privacy threats and personalisation opportunities of qualitative inference with large language models

I have come across the paper entitled “Beyond Memorization: Violating Privacy Via Inference with Large Language Models”, authored by Robin Staab, Mark Vero, Mislav Balunović and Martin Vechev. Staab and his team investigated “whether current LLMs could violate individuals' privacy by inferring personal attributes from text”. Using prompts and techniques that, to me, seem quite … Continue reading Thoughts on the privacy threats and personalisation opportunities of qualitative inference with large language models

New paper: Unpacking the Personalisation-Privacy Paradox in the Context of AI-Enabled Personalisation in the Physical Retail Environment

Once the stuff of fiction, it is now possible for you to enter a store and receive an offer which was personalised to your preferences, past purchases and even what’s happening around you. Unlike John Aderton in Minority Report, though, you don’t need to scan your eyes as you enter the store, in order to … Continue reading New paper: Unpacking the Personalisation-Privacy Paradox in the Context of AI-Enabled Personalisation in the Physical Retail Environment

On how algorithms are consequential – example from a newsroom

The paper “Designing What’s News - An Ethnography of a Personalization Algorithm and the Data-Driven (Re)Assembling of the News” is a great illustration of Kranzberg’s First Law of Technology, which states that “Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral.” In this paper, published in Digital Journalism, Anna Schjøtt Hansen and Jannie Møller Hartley … Continue reading On how algorithms are consequential – example from a newsroom

Podcast recommendations: Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper; Why tracing COVID-19 with an app is tricky; and Why automated recommendations technology is struggling

Today, I would like to share with you three podcast episodes. While discussing issues related to COVID-19, they actually offer great insight about consumer psychology, and about the limitations of technology. Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper In episode 34 the “It's all just a bunch of BS” podcast, Caroline Roux discusses decision making in … Continue reading Podcast recommendations: Why we stockpile(d) toilet paper; Why tracing COVID-19 with an app is tricky; and Why automated recommendations technology is struggling

What’s the problem with personalisation, anyway?

Recently, Google announced that it is buying Fitbit, the fitness tracker company which, not long ago, was the leader of the fitness wearable devices market. This acquisition gives Google a foothold in the large, growing and lucrative smartwatches / fitness band arena, which was lacking from their product portfolio. Most importantly, for Google, it gives … Continue reading What’s the problem with personalisation, anyway?

Personalisation vs customisation – Do you know the difference?

“Personalisation” and “customisation” are two terms often used in marketing, to refer to ways in which customers are treated as individuals. In some cases, the two terms are treated as synonyms, which is wrong because, really, “personalisation” and “customisation” solve opposite problems. Here is an overview of the main differences. Personalisation In the … Continue reading Personalisation vs customisation – Do you know the difference?

PhD research topics that I am supervising

I have recently received a number of e-mail inquiries from people asking whether I would be available to supervise their PhD studies. The answer is that I could take on one, maybe two new students. However, if we are going to work together for 3-4 years, we need to have research interests in common. Most … Continue reading PhD research topics that I am supervising

November 2017 round-up

Jeez, the days and weeks seem to roll into each other, faster and faster, as we approach the end of the year! They say that time flies when you are having fun, and I sure had some fun this month. We had some friends around for Bonfire Night. Then, I went to London with … Continue reading November 2017 round-up