Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence in the Tech Industry

The terms technology industry or tech industry refer to companies that are engaged in designing, manufacturing and/or marketing various electronic devices including computers and computer-based systems of all types as well as computer software and services and scientific componentry and related products (Technology background, 2022). This definition makes it clear that the tech industry subsumes a wide array of enterprises that are engaged in numerous initiatives to improve the functionality of their computer-based applications as well as the ways in which they are used. Moreover, in many ways, the tech industry differs from most other industries because of the accelerating pace of innovation that requires intensive research and development efforts (Technology background, 2022).

This definition indicates that many of the companies that are currently competing in the tech industry are the entities that are responsible for providing consumers in the public and private sectors with computer software such as artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) applications that can be used in countless ways by consumers as well as organizations of all sizes and types. Indeed, new uses for AI and NLP are being developed every day, and their potential seems unlimited at present. For example, according to Schroer (2022), From Google and Amazon to Apple and Microsoft, every major tech company is dedicating resources to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa have made AI a part of our daily lives (para. 2).

In fact, digital assistants represent one of the most significant ways that the tech industry is leveraging its investments in AI and NLP to generate additional revenues and grow their market share. For instance, Brill et al. (2019) note that, Digital assistants (e.g., Apples Siri, Amazons Alexa, Googles Google Assistant) are highly complex and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) based technologies. Individuals can use digital assistants to perform basic personal tasks as well as for more advanced capabilities (p. 1401). In addition, Amazon recently announced that it is updating its Alexa digital assistant so that it can mimic any human voice, including those of deceased relatives and friends (Boucher, 2022). In this regard, Amazons lead scientist on this project emphasized that, "We're unquestionably living in the golden era of AI, where our dreams and science fiction are becoming a reality (as cited in Boucher, 2022, para. 4). Notwithstanding the inherent creepiness of this dead relative voice innovation, it is clear that tech companies are making digital assistants more personal and intuitive to use, thereby making them even more attractive to a wider group of consumers.

Therefore, from one perspective, tech companies are using innovative AI and NLP applications to generate new...…consumer service records to identify the frequency and duration of online or telephonic contacts with technical services and sales departments to determine consumer preferences (Freedman, 2022).

More troubling still is the fact that tech companies routinely sell the personal information they collect to third party vendors that do not disclose this process to consumers. In other words, virtually everything that people say and do is being monitored by AI-enabled applications, including NLP which can deduce consumer interests and preferences simply by listening in to ordinary conversations. This Orwellian eventuality has created a concomitant need for an ethical framework for tech companies to follow today and in the future. For example, Metcalf et al. (2019) emphasize that, Given the increasing power and centrality of artificial intelligence in everyday life, there is an urgent need for a coherent approach to addressing ethics, values, and moral consequences (p. 451). An ethical framework, however, is only part of a far more complex solution due to the very nature of the tech industry and the nebulosity of its AI-based activities. As Metcalf and his associates conclude, This need is complicated by the centrality of personal data to many of the tech industrys products, its own discourse presenting itself as making the world a better place, and the lack of a timely regulatory response to many of the industrys problems…