Billboards Starting to Learn Who You Are

It's a bit creepy and more than a little reminiscent of Minority Report, but Immersive Labs in New York City has created billboards and in-store displays that use facial-recognition software to determine the age and gender of the people looking at them—and can change the ad that's displayed based on who you are. We're seen this kind of stuff in Japan. Now, it's on our doorstep. The billboards also use information about their location and the weather to offer even more targeted ads. Immersive assures HuffPo there are no privacy concerns because no pictures are stored, but we've heard that before, only to find out it was a dirty, dirty lie. I, for one, welcome our facial-recognition overlords and the enormous potential for great creative that they impart. You could make an interactive game with a crowd. Or imagine targeting your beard-groomer ad to everyone who walks by with a beard. As long as the old lady thinks it's funny when she triggers the spot, it's all good.