Watch out: Apple timepiece can grab snippets of conversation without both speakers' consent

The new Apple Watch Series 12 arrives with Audio Intelligence, a suite of AI audio processing capabilities powered by the S11 chip. This feature set includes Sound Recognition, Music Recognition with Shazam, Live Rewind, and Siri Recap. Live Rewind allows users to instantly view the last 15 seconds of a conversation as text, while Siri Recap generates high-level notes summarizing conversations throughout the day.

Both features are designed to respect privacy by using an audible tone and visual cues to alert those nearby that recording is taking place. However, critics argue that the technology raises significant concerns about conversational privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has expressed disappointment that Apple is releasing this new feature, stating that people should think twice before using it out of respect for others' conversational privacy.

While the legal implications of this technology remain unclear, it is evident that always-on monitoring of our conversations poses a significant threat to our conversational privacy.