@MarijaJak 20 November 2020

Artificial intelligence in supermarkets We've been reading a lot about artificial intelligence lately. It is present in almost all spheres of social life. To be honest, I am frightened by the fact that artificial intelligence does not go too far, and that human life loses the meaning of life on Earth. That's how artificial intelligence appeared in supermarkets, and you consider whether it is necessary in human life at all. Retailers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to anticipate or encourage consumers to buy.

Now more and more retail chains are using artificial intelligence - software systems that can learn for themselves - to try to automatically predict and encourage our very specific desires and purchases like never before. Retail consultant Daniel Burke, of Blick Rothenberg, calls this "**the holy grail**" of building customer profiles and suggesting a product to her before she realizes she wants one. So, the next time you go to the local store to buy some snacks and a specific wine on Friday night, maybe you can blame that decision on the artificial intelligence and the computer that found out all about you. And it can also offer what it calls a “hyper-personalized offering,” such as cheaper wine on a Friday night. The share of these applications remains low, but it is growing all the time, partly thanks to the coronary virus pandemic, which made people reluctant to touch the shelves or stand in lines. In Germany, a Berlin startup called SO1 is doing similar things with its own artificial intelligence system for retail outlets. He claims that nine times more people buy goods suggested by artificial intelligence than those offered by traditional promotions, even when the discounts are 30 percent lower. Getting offers for goods you might actually want to buy instead of random coupons is great for customers. However, it must exist caution about the huge amount of information that is collected about people. People like to be recommended products, but they begin to feel uncomfortable when they are led or manipulated to buy specific things based on a caricature of who they are, instead of the complete complexity of their personality. In fact, we have to ask ourselves how fair and ethical just data collection is. For example, are some middle-class women offered a discount on fresh vegetables, but not someone else who could really benefit from it? What we really need to understand is what impact data collection and profiling have on different sectors of society. Is profiling based on race, socioeconomic status, sexuality? Online giant Amazon is no stranger to data collection. He owns vast amounts of customer data based on their online purchases, and through his products such as Ring Bells and Echo Speakers. He is now moving into physical retail, with physical hole shops full of computer visual technology aided by artificial intelligence. This means that in its Amazon Go stores, which currently operate in 27 locations in the United States, people can shop without interacting with people or cash registers. They just drag the smartphone over the scanner when they enter the supermarket, take what they want to buy and just go out. Artificial intelligence, of course, observes them and sends them a bill in the end. The first Amazon Go stores were located in small locations, due to the cost of sensors and necessary equipment, but the company is gradually expanding to larger stores.

After this information I found out recently, I wonder if artificial intelligence will know more about us than we know about ourselves. It remains for us to adapt, and decide for ourselves whether we will use the mentioned applications of artificial intelligence ... I wish you a nice day and the upcoming weekend! Greeting! Your @MarijaJak !