From deep fakes to mind-reading wristbands, technology took us in some strange directions during 2019. In this special article, we celebrate the 10 weirdest news stories of the year.
In July, Adidas sparked social media buzz when the star of its latest social media campaign, singer Grimes revealed a training regime that includes deprivation tanks, astro-gliding to other dimensions, and experimental surgery to remove the top film of her eye. Grimes kicked off the campaign with an Instagram post describing her “training regime,” which she says includes deprivation tanks, astro-gliding to other dimensions, and experimental surgery to remove the top film of her eye. The bizarre post had a positive effect on the campaign, which racked up 130k likes in just a day.
Deepfake app Zao rose to the top of Chinese app sales charts less than a week after going live, sparking privacy concerns in the process. It used Deepfake technology to let people plaster their own faces on top of any character they want after a scan that takes just a few seconds. The app is only officially available in China, though a few Westerners have already been able to get in on the program. Zao allows users to insert themselves into any television show or movie using a single selfie by using artificial intelligence to superimpose their face onto that of a celebrity. According to a post from the app makers on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Zao’s servers nearly crashed due to the surge in traffic over the first weekend.
This year, L’Oreal’s skincare brand La Roche-Posay launched a spot-diagnosis tool created by artificial intelligence, offering free dermatological advice online via a partnership with Boots. Rather than using an app, the Effaclar Spotscan tool is available at Boots.com, letting mobile users and PC users with webcams scan their face and receive free advice on treatments for blemishes. The tool is compatible with Android and Apple phones and is the first free online tool of its kind to give practical dermatologist advice on the sort of treatment it would respond best to, based around the brand’s products.
YouTube has banned creators from depicting “dangerous challenges and pranks”, after a wave of incidents prompted by a viral challenge involving driving blindfolded pushed it to act. The Google owned platform has updated its guidelines after the Netflix film Bird Box saw people start pulling blindfolds over their eyes to perform tasks. One teenager crashed her car in the US after pulling her hat over her eyes while driving. YouTube said it can be a home for light-hearted pranks but reinforced that stunts which put people in danger were against its site policy.
In April, Facebook filed a patent for a new system that passes user’s personal photos to advertisers, making users the stars of online ads. The patent can detect photos people have uploaded that feature items such as alcoholic drinks and snacks. The company would then pass those images to the brands, which would turn them into adverts for other Facebook users to see. The patent on the concept, called ‘Computer-vision content detection for sponsored stories’ was granted in the U.S. this week, and if deployed, would act as a useful tool for brands seeking new ways to engage Facebook users. One hypothetical application outlined by the company in its patent involves its theoretical tool tagging a user who appears on Facebook drinking Grey Goose branded vodka. Once tagged, the image can then be sent to the brand and parlayed into what the description calls a ‘sponsored story.’
Want more reviews of the year? Read our 16 biggest trends, weirdest news, best virals and worst fails here.