Shoplifting: Artificial intelligence tested by large retailers at self-service checkouts

A shopper discreetly hides soda cans in his bag. In another image, a shopper hides a package in his bag. With the advent of self-checkouts, shoplifting has increased in supermarkets. Some thieves even boast about it on social media.

So, to reduce theft and forgetfulness at self-checkouts, large retailers are counterattacking by experimenting with new surveillance cameras , as in a supermarket in the Var region. They are capable of detecting suspicious behavior using artificial intelligence. A process that raises questions among customers: "I prefer a human presence," explains one woman. Another local resident fears "abuse."

The use of artificial intelligence has just been approved by the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL). With conditions: if a theft is suspected, human intervention must take place. Errors and thefts have been reduced by a factor of three at the supermarket where the technology is being tested.

Watch the full report in the video above