| Submit your comments on this article |
| Economy |
| Microsoft and Kroger Explore ‘Dynamic Pricing’ linked to facial recognition software |
| 2024-10-18 |
| [Gizmodo] How soon will the Minority Report-style supermarket arrive? Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib recently sent a letter to Kroger over the grocery giant’s purported plan to introduce digital price tags that could be changed in an instant to raise or lower prices for shoppers based on the time of day, the weather, or any other number of factors. But one particular detail in Kroger’s plan is raising the most eyebrows: The company intends to put cameras in stores that would be used for facial recognition. News leaked over the summer that grocery giant Kroger was partnering with Microsoft to use electronic shelf labels, shortened in the grocery industry as ESLs, as part of an AI push to institute dynamic pricing at its grocery stores. The plan also includes so-called Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment (EDGE) shelf displays that would reportedly include cameras to capture customer information, including images of faces to better tailor ads. But Rep. Tlaib, whose home state of Michigan has 120 Kroger locations, expressed concern about these technologies in her letter dated Oct. 11 and shared Tuesday for the first time publicly. “Studies have shown that facial recognition technology is flawed and can lead to discrimination in predominantly Black and brown communities,” Tlaib said in her letter. “The racial biases of facial recognition technology are well-documented and should not be extended into our grocery stores.” Kroger is the largest grocery store chain in the U.S. by revenue and owns a number of different brands, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Pick’n Save, Food 4 Less, and Dillions, among a host of others. Tlaib is worried that ESLs will allow Kroger’s stores to “use customer data to build personalized profiles of each customer” in such a way that it will be able to “determine the maximum price of goods customers are willing to pay.” The plan for dynamic pricing and highly individualized advertising has drawn comparisons to the 2002 futuristic sci-fi movie Minority Report, in which Tom Cruise’s character gets served ads targeting someone with a Japanese surname because he’s been implanted with another man’s eyes. |
| Posted by:NoMoreBS |
| #7 Break the AI Programming Parameters by asking does a shopper get a discount driving an EV for being green, or get sur-charged for having money? But my point, there is a base price point to start with, and surcharges get added based on -whatever-. So I ask, so Joe's Late Nigt Diner Chain picks this up, and customers who fit a 'they do not tip' profile gets an auto 15% gratuity charge, how is it not profiling? Is the price of umbrellas going up 20% during a storm not price gauging? But obviously, This road leads to rationing. Remember that little skit about the dude ordering a pizza and getting a background check? "I see your cardiologist has made a recommendation against red meat." or some shit? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-10-18 20:22 |
| #6 Dynamic Pricing - how to charge one group more while hiding behind plausible deniability. If black = free If white = 1000x markup from retail |
| Posted by: mossomo 2024-10-18 13:06 |
| #5 What if you wear a mask? Can you get some low-ball pricing that way? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-10-18 12:31 |
| #4 When Tlaib says your next form of DEI is a bit much: |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2024-10-18 12:02 |
| #3 But does facial recognition technology recognize who/what you identify as? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-10-18 07:25 |
| #2 Welcome to 'needs based equity' pricing. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-10-18 05:49 |
| #1 When your actions make Rashida Tlaib look smart and reasonable, perhaps you should rethink them? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-10-18 05:01 |