Brindle Media

With their tendency towards neutrality, I guess it’s not too surprising that Dutch citizens are reluctant to interfere in other people’s fights. This is presenting a problem for the Dutch government because public employees are frequently being confronted by aggression or actual violence. To encourage people to help public workers when they’re being violently confronted, the government has created an augmented reality billboard, placed above a busy intersection in Amsterdam. The billboard shows a real-time view of the street below but superimposes a green screen-filmed street fight into the otherwise empty curb space. As passersby stop to stare at themselves on the billboard, they are confronted with a tense altercation occurring right in front of them. Check it out:

Mashable reports: “The Dutch government hopes the ad will provoke a feeling of shame by showing citizens what they look like when they ignore such situations. It’s an ambitious and complex emotional experiment that injects AR into daily life. It’s also inspiring intense interest from Amsterdam pedestrians.” Your thoughts?