Facebook acknowledged in a Senate inquiry yesterday that it is scraping the public photos of Australian users to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Facebook’s parent company Meta claims this excludes data from users who have marked their posts as “private,” as well as photos or data from users under the age of 18.

Since companies such as Meta aren’t required to tell us what data they use or how they use it, we will have to take their word for it. Even so, users will likely be concerned that Meta is using their data for a purpose they didn’t expressly consent to.

But there are some steps users can take to improve the privacy of their personal data.

Data hungry models

AI models are data hungry. They require vast amounts of new data to train on. And the internet provides ready access to data that’s relatively easy to ingest in a process that doesn’t distinguish between copyrighted works or personal data.

Many people are concerned about the possible consequences of this wide-scale, obscure ingestion of our information and creativity.

Media companies have taken AI companies such as OpenAI to court for training models on their news stories. Artists who use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to advertise their work are also concerned their work is being used without permission, compensation or credit.

Others are worried about the chance AI could present them in ways that are inaccurate and misleading. A local mayor in Victoria considered legal action against ChatGPT after the program falsely claimed he was a guilty party in a foreign bribery scandal.

Generative AI models have no capacity to ascertain the truth of the statements or images they produce, and we still don’t know what harms will come from our growing reliance on AI tools.

People in other countries are better protected

In some countries, legislation supports ordinary users from having their data ingested by AI companies.

Meta was recently ordered to stop training its large language model on data from European users and has given those users an opt-out option.

In the European Union, personal data is protected under the General Data Protection Regulation. This law prohibits the use of personal data for undefined “artificial intelligence technology” without opt-in consent.

Australians don’t have the same option under existing privacy laws. The recent inquiry has strengthened calls to update them to better protect users. A major privacy act reform was also announced today that’s been several years in the making.

Three key actions

There are three key actions Australians can take to better protect their personal data from companies such as Facebook in the absence of targeted legislation.

First, Facebook users can ensure their data is marked as “private.” This would prevent any future scraping (although it won’t account for the scraping that has already occurred or any scraping we may not know about.)

Second, we can experiment with new approaches to consent in the age of AI. For example, tech startup Spawning is experimenting with new methods for consent to “benefit both AI development and the people it is trained on.” Their latest project, Source.Plus, is intended to curate “non-infringing” media for training AI models from public domain images and images under a Creative Commons CC0 “no rights reserved” license.

Third, we can lobby our government to pressure AI companies to ask for consent when they scrape our data and ensure that researchers and public agencies can audit AI companies for compliance.

We need a broader conversation about what rights the public should have to resist technology corporations using our data. This conversation also needs to include an alternative approach to building AI—one that is grounded in obtaining consent and respecting peoples’ privacy.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

When it comes to studying entrepreneurship, a lot of effort is spent trying to determine the personality traits that distinguish enterprising individuals from other people. However, simply possessing these characteristics does not necessarily mean that someone will set up a successful business—what really matters is the way that these traits influence and shape a person’s intentions.

The concept of entrepreneurial potential refers to a person’s natural ability to perceive opportunities and act on them, to create value by starting new businesses, and to find innovative solutions when faced with uncertainty.

More broadly, it has to do with individual freedom to change, grow, develop and adapt in relation to market uncertainties and opportunities. Entrepreneurial potential is more about the likelihood of entrepreneurship that derives from someone’s personality than entrepreneurship itself.

This potential is the product of a complex bigger picture, which also encompasses an individual’s skills, their economic and social circumstances, and their ability to manage the risks associated with creating and growing a new business.

One of the most interesting aspects of entrepreneurial potential is that it varies significantly depending on the generation to which an individual belongs, as each generation is influenced by different historical, economic and cultural contexts that affect attitudes towards entrepreneurship.

Intergenerational teams

The generation a person belongs to can also affect their working environment, especially in intergenerational teams. Many studies claim that employees prefer to work with people of the same age, and that generational diversity can be a source of friction.

However, other research suggests that generational diversity is highly valued, especially in leadership teams, and is considered as important as other types of diversity—religious, gender, cultural, racial, ethnic, and so on—in its impact on job performance.

Generational differences in work teams can create tensions in areas such as knowledge transfer, expectations and communication among employees. Therefore, intergenerational work teams need to be properly managed in order to achieve the best possible results.

Boomers in the workplace

Baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—grew up in an era defined by economic prosperity and hierarchical structures, so they tend to value stability and job security.

Since many boomers are now at retirement age, their entrepreneurial potential has not been studied as much as their entrepreneurial activity. Studies have found that members of this generation tend to be resilient, value hard work and loyalty, and have high levels of confidence and a strong need for success.

Generation X, Y, Z: entrepreneurs and workers

Members of Generation X—those born between 1965 and 1980—grew up during times of economic and technological change, making them adaptable and open to innovation. They are considered to have a pragmatic approach to work and to be good resource managers. In an entrepreneurial context, they tend to have moderate entrepreneurial potential, and they value both security and autonomy in their careers.

Generation Y, also known as millennials, who were born between 1981 and 1996, are known for their familiarity with digital technology and their desire for flexibility and purpose in their work. They tend to have high entrepreneurial potential due to their desire to challenge the status quo, their willingness to take risks, and their inclination towards change. They value independence and are more willing to leave traditional jobs to start their own businesses in search of better work-life balance.

Members of Generation Z, born from 1997 onwards, have grown up fully in the digital age, which gives them natural skills in technology and social media. However, their entrepreneurial potential may be lower than that of previous generations.

Generation Z—digital natives, but poor communication skills

Generally, a generation is defined by its contemporary political, socio-economic and cultural events. In the case of Generation Z, they share much of Generation Y’s broader context of globalization, digitization and social and cultural change. However, members of Generation Z—the latest generation to enter the labor market—have comparatively lower average scores in areas like communication skills, confidence, desire for success and internal control. All this translates into lower entrepreneurial potential.

It is worth noting that this lack of confidence and interest in taking the initiative may be explained by Generation Z’s youth, and their poor communication skills may be the result of them being the first generation of digital natives. As they mature and become more experienced, these characteristics are likely to evolve, and researchers should take note of this.

The most entrepreneurial generation

Based on the available research, millennials appear to be the generation with the greatest entrepreneurial potential. Members of this generation show a significant inclination towards entrepreneurship, are familiar with new technologies, and tend to start businesses at a younger age than previous generations.

What is more, they have leadership skills, focus and ambition which, compared to other generations, makes them more predisposed to leaving stable jobs in order to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.