Today's signal looks at "AI bodyguards" - the trending technology being used by celebrities, sports stars and brands to automatically identify, edit or remove (that is "censor") impolite, hateful, or just unwanted comments from their social media pages.
It reminds me of Amy Webb's idea of "diminished reality" - the opposite of augmented reality - a technological filter (or goggles) designed to fitter out the things we don't want to see - like advertising, litter, or even the homeless 😮 . Kind of like the emerald glasses Dorothy and her friends wore in the city of Oz - designed to make life look nicer that in really is.
Which is, of course, not unlike the high walls and modern feudal forts the rich in places like South Africa retreat behind, with walls that contain pretty manicured gardens and obscure poverty and social collapse without.
What do you think?
Does pretending hate doesn't exist stop it? Does removing the uncomfortable from public view make you feel more comfortable?
How do you feel about artificial censorship?
Is this sort of software necessary for brands and public profiles given today's legal and social environment?
What does this mean for the future (un)separation of church, brand and state?
Read more:
See no evil, hear no evil : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/22/french-open-organisers-to-offer-players-ai-protection-against-online-abuse-tennis
Choose your reality : https://www.youtube.com/live/GgtUpdLO36I?feature=share&t=2491
Diminished reality :
Emerald and rose tinted glasses