AI, Privacy, and the Human Side of Surveillance (With Galvin Widjaja)-Ep #206

Marc and Galvin Widjaja unpack how AI-powered cameras are reshaping retail, security, and consumer behaviour — while raising new questions about privacy, bias, and digital ethics.

About the Episode:

In this episode, Marc speaks with Galvin Widjaja about the intersection of AI, business strategy, and human behaviour. From his unconventional career path — spanning banking, data analytics, and restaurant management — Galvin offers a grounded perspective on how data-driven insights can transform both operations and customer engagement.

They explore how his company’s camera-based AI systems interpret movement and context to improve safety and retail analytics while preserving privacy and avoiding facial recognition. The discussion touches on the evolution of surveillance technology, “T minus one” behavioural prediction systems, and how AI can act before incidents occur without crossing ethical lines.

Beyond the technology, the conversation dives deep into the moral landscape of AI — from echo chambers and social manipulation to the biases still baked into datasets today. This episode challenges listeners to think critically about the thin line between innovation and intrusion — and what a truly responsible AI future should look like.

About the Guest:

Galvin Widjaja is the founder and CEO of Lauretta AI, a privacy-first computer vision company that helps organizations understand human behavior in physical spaces without relying on identity or biometrics. Under his leadership, Lauretta has become a trusted partner to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, TSA, U.S. Air Force, and major airport and defense agencies across Asia and North America. Galvin’s unconventional journey into AI began not in a lab, but behind the counter of a quick-service restaurant he once ran for his father in Singapore. After early career stints in consulting, banking, and tech, a pivotal decision to reconnect with his estranged father led him to manage three migrant-serving restaurants. There, he learned that systems are only as good as the people they serve. That insight shaped his approach to AI — one built not just on precision and scale, but on empathy, equity, and lived experience.
Born in Singapore and raised partly in Indonesia, Galvin grew up in entrepreneurial households that saw both massive growth and total collapse. Those early lessons in volatility, resilience, and human complexity now inform his mission to build AI that doesn’t just react — it understands. His work focuses on helping organizations move from static surveillance to dynamic understanding, and from reactive alerts to proactive decision-making — all while respecting the humanity of the people being observed.

Website: http://lauretta.io/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galvinw/

Timestamps:

00:01:15 - Episode Commences
00:04:15 - AI, Security & Facial Recognition
00:11:40 - The Evolution of Tracking  & Monitoring
00:23:23 - Security Camera Roles in the Modern Era
00:33:10 - Today's Gen; focused on Doom Scroll or Paying attention
00:39:40 -  Human Behavior & Emotional Detections 
00:46:42 - Society's Dependency on System, not AI?
00:51:34 - Episode Concludes

Additional Notes:

For more check out the website: https://futuretechandforesight.com/

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FutureTech_Pod

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