Cities around the world already employ computer vision enabled CCTV to monitor vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Now, computer vision companies are venturing into brick-and-mortar stores. They are using computer vision and AI to spot shoplifters. Japanese telecom company NTT East teamed up with tech startup Earth Eyes to create AI Guardsman, a machine learning system that attempts to catch shoplifters. The system scans live video from cameras in a store, tracking every customer. As soon as it detects suspicious activity the system sends an alert with the person’s mugshot and location. Distinguishing between thieves and indecisive shoppers isn’t easy, though, and NTT East makes no claims that its algorithm is perfect. But the company claims that AI Guardsman learns from its mistakes over time and will eventually become extremely accurate.
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