Excellent reporting by Motor Trend revealing how a new tech radio gives you music and can also eaves-drop on you. The result of eaves dropping is to schedule commercials that may appeal to your interests. The radio then will program commercial ads that may suit your interests. Maybe by introducing something new? What do you think? Can you be persuaded by your radio pitching an ad for a new car after hearing you discuss cars with a passenger? A Ford for sure! The influx or commercials on TVs and radios is annoying presently. A radio attempting to appeal to my interests could result in a negative response. Anyone tired yet of political advertisements on TV? I would turn the radio off or plug in a chip, disk, tape, etc. to avoid the use of my
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Excellent reporting by Motor Trend revealing how a new tech radio gives you music and can also eaves-drop on you. The result of eaves dropping is to schedule commercials that may appeal to your interests. The radio then will program commercial ads that may suit your interests. Maybe by introducing something new?
What do you think? Can you be persuaded by your radio pitching an ad for a new car after hearing you discuss cars with a passenger? A Ford for sure! The influx or commercials on TVs and radios is annoying presently. A radio attempting to appeal to my interests could result in a negative response. Anyone tired yet of political advertisements on TV?
I would turn the radio off or plug in a chip, disk, tape, etc. to avoid the use of my wants being used against me with inane commercial noise.
Ford Patents In-Car System That Eavesdrops So It Can Play You Ads, Motor Trend
Ford has secured a US patent to serve targeted ads inside its cars based on user data, including conversations between passengers.
Yep, you read the headline right. Ford has a new system (patented) capable (per the filing), using several different sources of information to customize ad content to play in your car. One such information stream that this hypothetical system would use to determine what sort of ads to serve could be, could be the voice commands you’ve given to the car.
It could potentially identify your voice and recognize you and play your ad preferences, and also those of your passengers. Finally, it could listen to your conversations and determine if it’s better to serve you a visual ad while you’re talking, or an audio ad when there’s a lull in the conversation.
Hmmm, another distraction while driving.
Here’s a very, very important disclaimer we say just about every time we talk about an unusual patent:
A patent filing doesn’t indicate that the automaker is intending to implement this system. It just means it’s protecting its intellectual property from competitors. Ford, of course, could implement this system in some form based on this patent, but don’t presume that it will. (Cue up Jeff Goldblum: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”)
A statement from Ford, issued to MotorTrend after this story was initially published, says exactly this in a slightly different way.
“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property. The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”
The patent, in a roundabout sort of way, acknowledges in-car advertising to suit my interests might be received poorly by occupants. There is recognition the an occupant’s “natural inclination to seek minimal or no ads.” How would the radio “maximum opportunity for ad-based monetization” be balanced against a desire for music and silence freedom from annoying advertising? The patent, basically, says that it will use a few different algorithms to bypass occupants’ preference for zero ads by playing ads at certain times, attempting to minimize disruption by understanding the context. Unfortunately for them, we are all different.
In a “well you know” kind of fashion, imagine your radio is telling you what you could buy before you reach your destination.
AB: Have you ever heard the ad source after the advertisement ad? It goes a mile-a-second and is distorted by the speed at which it is said after the advertisement. Can you recite what is said? My ears close up to the noise. Back to the article.
What if the system described in the patent knew you were headed to the mall on the freeway based on destination information from the nav system and vehicle speed. Perhaps, it could consider how many ads to serve in the time you’ll be in the car, and whether to serve them on a screen or based through the audio system. If you respond more positively to audio ads, it might serve you more of those. How does every five minutes sound?
AB: Yep, just watch the screen. Distracted driving is not an issue today, right?
But what if the weather’s bad, traffic is heavy, and you’re chatting away with your passenger? Ford describes the system using the external sensors to perceive traffic levels and weather, and the internal microphone to understand conversational cadence, to “regulate the number (and relevance) of ads shown” to the occupants. Using the GPS, if it knows you’ve parked near a store, it might serve you ads relevant to that retail location. Got passengers? Maybe you get an audio ad, and they get a visual one.
Hate the ads? The system can infer such based on how you react. Do you click the “get a promo code” button on the screen? That’s a positive interaction. Do you voice your displeasure out loud? The system is listening, and jots that down.
Essentially, this patent describes an automated workflow, gathering information from several sensors (and pre-set preferences, such as your profile on your Ford Pass account or the like), serving ads, and monitoring your reaction. The goal is to provide as many ads as you could tolerate, scheduled in a way to balance maximum revenue with occupant irritation.
Given how consumers feel about advertising and in-car privacy, it is difficult to imagine implementation of a system that would not generate blowback. But again, the patent isn’t describing some imminent implementation; it just protects Ford’s IP that describes a possible system. With that being said . . . with the encroachment of subscription-based features, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before you are accepting a $20/month discount to let your new Ford play you ads on your commute.
AB: If you wish to watch movies for free without a subscription to a certain channel (Prime for example), you can select doing so by allowing commercials after a certain period of time and then back to the movie.
Whatever, it is an intrusion. Maybe you can wipe it clean or turn it on to play “just” regular broadcasting??? I am not keen on my car pitching ads. I get enough garbage on my IPhone as it is.
I will pass on this new technology. Then again, I may nt be allowed to do so unless I pay for the privilege.
Other articles:
– Ford wants to eavesdrop on passenger conversations to help target ads | Malwarebytes
– Ford Patents In-Car Advertising System That Listens to Passenger Conversations | PCMag