"When customers had their groceries and were done shopping, they could just walk back out the barrier. Crucially, Amazon Fresh customers didn't have to stop at a check-out - not only because there weren't any. The AI-powered surveillance system was built to identify each and every item the customer had taken, debit them on the app, and email them a receipt."
"But experts say the British public became disheartened by the 'Just Walk Out' technology, which often didn't work as intended, and stoked fears of Big Brother surveillance. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, called Amazon Fresh a 'dystopian, total-surveillance shopping experience'. 'Amazon's intense tracking of shoppers will create larger personal data footprints than any other retailer,' she said when the first UK store opened in Ealing Broadway, west London. 'Customers deserve to know how and by whom these records and analytics could be used.'"
Amazon closed all 19 Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, putting up to 250 workers at risk. The stores used 'Just Walk Out' AI systems that required customers to open the Amazon app, scan a QR to enter, and relied on sensors and algorithms to identify taken items and charge via the app. The system sometimes failed to register returns, causing customers to be charged for items they did not take. Many customers resisted mandatory app access and raised accessibility concerns for smartphone-free shoppers. Privacy advocates warned that intense tracking would create unprecedented personal data footprints and potential misuse of records and analytics.
Read at Mail Online
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