Artist Turns Private Jet Data Into an Apocalypse Early Warning System

Los Angeles artist Kyle McDonald created the Apocalypse Early Warning System, a live jet-tracking project that maps private and charter aircraft and assigns an “emergency level” by comparing current jet activity to historical norms. Using radio-based flight data and AI-assisted coding, the project explores who gets information, who controls it, and why elites might know first, while stopping short of predicting catastrophe. McDonald funds his practice through consulting and exhibitions, and monetizes a small alert service with thousands of subscribers as a conceptual art intervention.