Influencers inadvertently exposed the horrors of AI surveillance

Influencers may crave attention through “profession,” but a new AI experiment shows they can’t always control the gaze of their admirers.

The project, called “The Follower”, follows Instagrammers in the wild. In the process, it offers a glimpse of the terrifying possibilities of automated surveillance.

The experiment is the brainchild of Dries Depoorter, a Belgian artist who previously caught our attention by keeping an eye on politicians with telephones at work.

Dries Depoorter's project automatically tags Belgian politicians when they use their phone in the daily live streams.
Credit: Dries Depoorter