Smarter AI enhances Amazon's checkout-free retail shopping

Amazon has enhanced its Just Walk Out retail shopping technology with a more powerful AI model, potentially enabling checkout-free stores in a broader range of locations. The new multimodal system incorporates transformer models commonly used in generative AI, analyzing data from both cameras and sensors throughout the store. This upgrade improves accuracy by addressing issues such as obstructions and poor lighting, and it can handle complex scenarios like two people reaching for the same item simultaneously.

Amazon's self-training AI uses a 3D map and visual product catalogs, ensuring accurate product identification without needing frequent retraining. Privacy remains a priority, with customers required to present a payment card or mobile wallet app at the entry gate, but no biometric information is collected. The system only tracks interactions with the store until the customer exits.

Currently, there are 170 third-party stores using Just Walk Out technology in North America, Australia, and the UK, with Amazon planning to more than double this number by the end of 2024. The improved AI's reduced dependence on store layout and lighting will facilitate this expansion.

Interestingly, this development comes as Amazon is pulling the technology from its own grocery stores, including Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh locations, even though it has reportedly driven more business at these sites. This strategic shift suggests Amazon is focusing on extending the reach of Just Walk Out technology through partnerships rather than its own retail outlets, potentially leading to a wider adoption of checkout-free shopping experiences globally.