At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, faculty members are decorating campus security cameras with googly eyes, rhinestones and other playful details. The gesture is designed to draw attention to surveillance technology while leaving the cameras operational.
Five tenured professors began the project in August, amid plans to add more than 500 cameras across campus at a cost of over $3 million. The systems can use artificial intelligence to identify faces and objects. MIT says the cameras are intended to fill gaps in existing security coverage.
Art as a prompt for discussion
The faculty initiative takes inspiration from artist and MIT alumna Jill Magid, who decorated CCTV cameras in Amsterdam in 2002. Students, faculty and staff have since taken part in several decoration sessions, turning the intervention into a shared creative activity.
Some faculty members have also raised questions about how decisions on AI use are made, including who gets to contribute to advisory discussions. They say the project aims to encourage a broader conversation about privacy, campus safety and the place of surveillance in shared spaces.
By pairing art with emerging technology, the initiative offers a visible way to invite discussion about how institutions can balance security, privacy and community participation as AI systems evolve.
