Anyone actively using Instagram knows how hard it can be to get that one fun shot that’s worth posting online. Now, it seems everyone will know how hard those shots can be, thanks to a new AI surveillance that follows Instagram posters.
Despite sounding like a dystopian nightmare or a Black Mirror episode about social media, this is supposedly an “art experiment.” Could this “art experiment” endear us to the struggle of those who look good on Instagram? Or is it the start of something monstrous and terrifying?
Instagram posters get AI surveillance
Vice reported on the story, saying that the Instagram AI surveillance called “The Follower” comes from the artist Dries Depoorter. The artist claims that he got his idea for “The Follower” when encountering someone taking 30 pictures for their Instagram.
“The idea popped in my head when I watched an open camera and someone was taking pictures for like 30 minutes,” Depoorter claims.
Continuing on, Depoorter collected plenty of these recordings and then trained AI to follow Instagram influencers with 100,000 followers. He then launched a video showing how one influencer got their shot, comparing it to the post they put.
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Will this be dangerous?
Although the footage Depoorter shows is fascinating, there are worries that AI surveillance could lead to a dystopian future. Nobody wants to be constantly watched when they’re just trying to post online, even Instagram influencers want their own privacy.
Thankfully, Depoorter points out that he’s aware of how new technology can be dangerous, wanting art to work with technology. Granted, bad things can come out of good intentions but we don’t think Depoorter wants to randomly stalk Instagram users.
“If you check out all my work you can see I show the dangers of new technology,” Depoorter said. “I hope to reach a lot of people of making it really simple. I really don’t like difficult art. I like to keep it really simple. I think I’m part of a new generation of artists that work with technology.”