Three more days and then a large part of the Netherlands will be sitting on the couch, biting their nails, for the denouement of the TV program Wie is de Mol? Is it Anna, Fons, or Rosario? These are also exciting times for six ICT students from Fontys in Eindhoven. With the help of AI, or artificial intelligence, they predicted who has been messing things up for weeks. “If Rosario turns out to be the Mole, then I will have to hand in my diploma again.”
For the few who are not familiar with the immensely popular game program, here is a brief explanation. A team of famous Dutch people carries out assignments abroad and hunts a mole in their midst. This impostor must secretly ensure that the assignments fail by misleading the others, i.e. by fooling them.
On Saturday evening it will become clear who is the winner of this 24th edition and who has sabotaged everything for weeks.
“By pumping all the data into AI, you get a nice picture.”
How did the students work? In the first episode, the Mole appeared in makeup. The Fontys students decided, with the help of AI, to unmask who is underneath that make-up. They also found out which candidate is talked about a lot on social media and who is seen as suspicious.
The votes of the candidates were also scrutinized. “Does someone sound relaxed, tense or sarcastic? By pumping all that data into AI, you get a very nice picture,” says 23-year-old former student Niek van Dam.
Science journalist Anna Gimbrère is high on the suspect list among all followers of the program. The students also have her in their sights. Thanks to careful analyzes and the super-fast thinking of the computer, they are almost certain. But it remains exciting anyway.
“There’s a lot riding on it, my dignity is at stake.”
Niek: “We have mentioned Anna and Fons from the beginning and they are both still in it. So anyway, we are well in the right direction.” He has been betting all his points on Anna since the second episode, and there are also quite a few bets with friends, for beers or a nice amount of money. “A lot depends on it, my dignity is at stake. If things go wrong on Saturday, I don’t know if I will still dare to show myself,” he says laughing.
Eindhoven teacher Frans Mouws, who manages the group of students, thinks he sees reporter/journalist Fons Hendriks de Mol. “I’m in Fons, unlike the rest of the Netherlands,” he says, laughing. “But it is not an exact science, so despite all the analyses, there is still a chance that Rosario turns out to be the Mole.”
“Those program makers are not crazy either.”
“You know, those program makers are not crazy either,” Frans continues. “Each episode is completely analyzed by about 100,000 fanatical Mole fans. So the editors are very alert to what they do and do not show. And that also makes it difficult for us with those AI models.”
According to Niek, artificial intelligence is not sacred. He therefore continues to rely on his own insight. “It’s a tool, and it should be seen that way,” he says. “The moment you start to see AI as truth, you no longer take your intuition seriously.”
Frans hopes to be able to hunt again next year with a group of enthusiastic students. “This time we got in a bit late, when the program had already started. We had to collect all that data in no time. If we dive in as soon as the candidates are known, we might already have a look at De Mol before the program starts. “