A friend’s son is applying to a private high school, and as part of the application process, the school requests links to any social media accounts he owns. I’ve heard of similar requirements in sorority recruitment and other selective social organizations.

With AI, it wouldn’t be difficult to analyze social media for potentially negative traits using image recognition models. These models could be trained to detect behaviors such as smoking, drinking, or making offensive hand gestures. For example, a student holding a red Solo cup in a photo could be flagged as a potential concern.

Beyond identifying negative behaviors, AI could also assess social tendencies. It could analyze how many photos feature the applicant alone versus in a group, or how many depict them playing sports, which might indicate teamwork and social engagement. This type of analysis could influence how schools or organizations evaluate an applicant’s personality and fit.