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How does this shocking AI device make sure a photographer takes good pictures?

Answer: By literally shocking them.

Designer and artist Peter Buczkowski has added another task to the list of things that we humans are training artificial intelligence (AI) to do, but this one has a bit of a dark side to it.

Buczkowski created an AI-powered device called Prosthetic Photographer that delivers a mild electrical shock to a photographer’s hand when it sees a well-composed scene, forcing them to press the shutter button.

“My initial idea was to use electric shocks,” Buczkowski told Engadget. “I really liked the idea that the human becomes the interface in this scenario … the device is using the human.”

Buczkowski has a number of ideas about how the device might be used, including an Instagram filter. The device could be trained on a cache of photos the user has taken to determine their preferences, and then enforce those preferences when they use it. It could also be used to train and condition beginning photographers.

After using his creation, Buczkowski commented: “It kind of conditioned me … I’m seeing the world how the device sees it.”

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.