Forbes – Ricky Brasil

an artificial intelligence created the appearance of personification of corruption in Brazil, alerting the importance on the subject

By Flavia Goulart

November 24, 2020

Ricky Brasil

Forbes

Overview

The exact value is difficult – or even impossible – to measure. But, according to data cited by professionals in the Lava Jato operation, R $ 200 billion are diverted per year. If all that money were to end up in the hands of a single person, she would own the eighth largest fortune in the world, according to the 2018 FORBES Billionaires list. “FORBES wants to take a stand against corruption and also draw the attention of Brazilians to the the size of this huge problem in our country ”, says Antonio Camarotti, CEO of FORBES Brasil.

Details

Role: Senior User experience
Company: Ogilvy & Mather agency
Client: Forbes
Project: Ricky Brasil

My role

I was the team lead and senior UI designer. We design and development the site giving support to the idea.

Main tasks

Research the main numbers around the projet
design, prototype, test
ensure full integration between the technology and the site.

The Solution

Using data from those convicted of corruption in Brazil and a program specially developed for that purpose, FORBES gave life to a fictional billionaire who would be the owner of all the fortunes deviated year by year in the country.

To create the appearance of this personification of corruption, artificial intelligence analyzed more than 150 photos of those convicted of this crime in the country. Crossing data such as hair, eyes and skin color, bone structure and other facial features, it reached an “average” result. To trace the personality of this corrupt man, the algorithm was fed with more than 500 hours of audio from the convicts – testimonies, interviews and even leaked conversations. Joining appearance and personality, the fictional character Ricky Brasil was born – a name that refers to “Rica Corrupção Brasileira”. He is a middle-aged man, looks good, is cynical and arrogant. With high self-esteem, he believes he is above good and evil.