Amazon to ditch AI-powered cashierless checkouts in US

Amazon is set to withdraw its “Just Walk Out” cashierless checkout system from major Fresh supermarkets in the US, according to a report from The Information.

The AI tech, which was being used in Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the US, was launched in 2016 and allowed shoppers to grab items and leave without paying at the checkout. Cameras in store detected what customers had bought and instead charged the items directly to their Amazon account.

Around half of all Amazon Fresh stores were equipped with the machine learning-based tech, which was not completely automated – the article for The Information revealed more than 1,000 India-based staff had been hired to watch and label video footage to ensure accurate charges.

This revelation, made by Amazon SVP of worldwide grocery stores Tony Hogget, prompted some debate on social media, with critics accusing Amazon of just outsourcing its cashier function to off-site locations, rather than offering fully cashierless checkouts.

When the tech first launched in 2016, it would often take several hours for customers to receive receipts which some – such as X user @Gurgavin – to label the system “crazy”.

However, others have claimed the Indian staff could have been used as part of a feedback loop to help train the AI system to correctly identify products by identifying mistakes and labelling them correctly – a common practice in machine learning.

Amazon operates over 38 stores across the US, as well as 14 locations in the UK. The Just Walk Out tech is also used in Amazon Go convenience stores.

Amazon will replace the Just Walk Out system with “Dash Carts”, which sees a scanner and screen embedded into a shopping trolley or basket which allows customers to scan items as they travel round the Fresh store and checkout as they shop.

The tech giant will also introduce traditional self-service counters at the supermarkets, allowing them to be used by people who are not Amazon members.

“We’re rolling out Amazon Dash Cart, our smart-shopping carts,” an Amazon spokesperson told Gizmodo.

The Just Walk Out will continue to be used in Amazon Go stores alongside some smaller Fresh stores in the UK, Amazon has said.