Just Walked Away 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. Dystopian Retail Instead of Just Walk Out, Amazon is now betting on scanners and screens embedded in the shopping cart called Dash Carts. The tech they’re replacing, however, was far more ambitious. In 2018, Amazon started rolling out its Just Walk Out system, which was meant to revolutionize the retail experience with AI, worldwide. Several other companies, including Walmart, followed suit by announcing similar cashier-less stores. But over five years later, the system has seemingly become more of a burden. According to The Information, the tech was simply far too slow and too expensive to implement, with outsourced cashiers reportedly taking hours to send back data so customers could get their receipts. Apart from…Amazon Abandons Grocery Stores Where You Just Walk Out With Stuff After It Turns Out Its "AI" Was Powered by 1,000 Human Contractors

Just Walked Away 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. Dystopian Retail Instead of Just Walk Out, Amazon is now betting on scanners and screens embedded in the shopping cart called Dash Carts. The tech they’re replacing, however, was far more ambitious. In 2018, Amazon started rolling out its Just Walk Out system, which was meant to revolutionize the retail experience with AI, worldwide. Several other companies, including Walmart, followed suit by announcing similar cashier-less stores. But over five years later, the system has seemingly become more of a burden. According to The Information, the tech was simply far too slow and too expensive to implement, with outsourced cashiers reportedly taking hours to send back data so customers could get their receipts. Apart from…Amazon Abandons Grocery Stores Where You Just Walk Out With Stuff After It Turns Out Its "AI" Was Powered by 1,000 Human Contractors