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Advertising billboards with hidden cameras that can read your emotions and react accordingly are being tested on unsuspecting members of the public right now.
The advertisements apparently form the world’s first ever artificially intelligent poster campaign and have the ability to evolve based on people’s reactions… which does sound a bit scary.
Basically the folks over at advertising agency M&C Saatchi, who want to be pioneers of new technology for ads, have installed two billboards at bus stops in London.
At the moment they are advertising a made-up brand of coffee as this is just an experiment. The screens have Microsoft Kinect sensors like the ones found in an Xbox games console at the top.
Based on what the camera reads, the billboard can generate its own words and pictures. At this stage of the experiment it can tell whether people are looking or not and whether their expression is happy, sad or neutral.
David Cox, chief innovation officer at M&C Saatchi, said: “The basic idea is we are experimenting with artificial creativity but it is going to become more of a prevalent thing.”
In the short term, it is hoped the research will help advertisers optimise adverts, as it will gather information such as where on the advert people look.
But in the long term, it could mean computers could become clever enough to write their own adverts… That’s the kinda scary bit.
At bit like Darwin’s survival of the fittest theory, the system is expected to work by “killing off” genes (or ads) which fail to trigger engagement so the strongest creative executions survive.
Cox added: “This innovation is breaking new ground in the industry because it’s the first time a poster has been let loose to entirely write itself, based on what works, rather than just what a person thinks may work.
“We are not suggesting a diminished role for creative but we know technology will be playing a greater part in what we do.”
One advert will be displayed at a bus shelter in Oxford Street until July 24 and another in Clapham Common from August 10 to 21.
