Amazon is giving up with its unusual “Just Walk Out” technology, The Information reports, which allowed customers to simply put their shopping into their bags and leave the store without having to get in line at the checkout.
The tech, which was only available at half of the e-commerce giant’s Amazon Fresh stores, used a host of cameras and sensors to track what shoppers left the store with. But instead of closing the technological loop with pure automation and AI, the company also had to rely on an army of over 1,000 workers in India, who were acting as remote cashiers.
In other words, Just Walk Out — a highly invasive marketing ploy to get more customers to shop at its stores while actively undercutting the local job market — will be missed by few.
futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-abandons-ai-stores
h/t Uncle Gintel