AI's fake smiles may transport us all to a Wonderland in which nothing is real

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party, as pictured in Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland (Illustration by John Tenniel) | Culture Club/Getty Images

Artificial intelligence is a wonder of the modern age. It can solve problems we cannot, process vast amounts of information in a heartbeat, and could even be the saviour of our ailing NHS.

Now a new study, led by Glasgow University researchers, has found it’s possible to use smile-changing video filters during online speed-dating sessions – in real time and without those involved noticing what was happening – to influence who people were attracted to.

Essentially, the participants’ faces were digitally altered to smile more, or less, during chats with a potential partner than they actually did. It was only after the experiment that they were told.

Similar filters can already be used on social media apps. Although the researchers’ version was apparently more realistic, it may provide a glimpse of a future world in which nothing is actually what it seems.

If your reaction to Alice in Wonderland was that you couldn’t wait to disappear down a rabbit hole and marvel at the Cheshire cat’s disappearing grin, this may seem rather exciting. As for us, we’d rather stay in the real world, thanks all the same.