Clothes to confuse AI cameras and help protect privacy

Clothes designed to provide the wearer with a camouflage from facial recognition technology, so that they can remain anonymous in the street, have been designed by a student at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

Kirsty Love, 23, developed the garments to safeguard people’s offline identity after becoming alarmed by the power of existing websites that can identify people with a photograph of their face and instantly provide online details about who they are.

The BA Fashion Knitwear undergraduate used reflective yarn and special patterning to create a prototype skirt, jumper and hat which are designed to confuse cameras so that people can’t be recognised by artificial intelligence (AI).

“The fact that someone can now take your photo in the street and track you down in seconds to get your social media accounts and other personal information is absolutely terrifying,” said Kirsty, from Bradeley in Stoke-on-Trent.

“Millions of people take great care to protect their privacy online, but with the development of AI lots of people will now want to consider their offline anonymity as well.

“Facial recognition software is out there and freely available for anyone to use, so I wanted to create clothes that are anti-detection which could provide a greater degree of privacy for people.”

Kirsty’s research looked into an apparent glitch which can make AI confused between human, animal and blurred faces.

So while designing the patterning for her clothes, she added layered images of human faces and made them appear blurry and distorted, while also creating a ‘futuristic grunge’ aesthetic.

The garments are made with reflective yarn which illuminates when looked at through a camera in sunlight or under a flash to provide an invisible barrier that protects key details of the face.

Her hat also partially covers the wearer’s face, making it difficult for a photographer to get a clear shot and prevent AI from piecing together who it is.

“I just wanted to give people privacy in a world that’s so dominated by social media,” added Kirsty, who is studying in the Nottingham School of Art & Design.

“I worry about the way AI has infiltrated people’s day to day lives and wanted to give people a way to choose whether they wanted their face to be part of their digital footprint or not.

“The aim is to prevent AI detection profiling on a wider scale, so the camera is more focused on the garment than the person to allow someone to go about their day to day life with better peace of mind.

“Everyone lacks privacy now, but we all need privacy for our own security, mental health and personal space.”

Kirsty’s target consumer is 20 to 35-year-olds who are conscious of their social media presence. The clothes are unisex and oversized, and the jumper can be worn back to front.

Her designs were created for NTU’s Graduate Festival 24, and went on public display alongside the works of hundreds of other graduating artists and designers.

Helen Hill, senior lecturer in fashion knitwear and knitted textiles at the Nottingham School of Art & Design, said: “The potential for people to have their photo taken in the street and be identified within seconds is a frightening prospect which raises serious questions about privacy.

“Kirsty has shown how clothing can be designed to help protect a person’s anonymity while in a public place so that they can feel more secure in themselves and have better peace of mind.”