Amazon’s 'Just Walk Out' tech relied on low-paid Indian workers, not AI: Report

Amazon used remote cashiers based in India to check what customers were buying and leaving stores with.

Amazon's ‘Just Walk Out’ technology in Amazon Fresh stores relied on manual human labour, it was reported. The company introduced the system in 2018 using which people would enter a store, grab what they wanted to buy and leave without checking out as they would get receipts afterwards.

Amazon said that the Just Walk Out tech will now be replaced by smart carts which will allow customers to skip checkout line.(Reuters)

The Information reported that even though Amazon claimed that it used a host of cameras and sensors around the store to track what customers grabbed, hundreds of Indian workers were used by the company to track customers instead of relying completely on AI and technology.

What report claimed on Amazon's 'Just Walk Out' technology?

1. The company used remote cashiers based in India to check what customers were buying and leaving stores with.
2. These included over 1,000 workers in India, The Information reported, as the work of cashiers was outsourced to India.
3. The company undercut local jobs and chose low paid workers in India.
4. Amazon has decided to do away with the Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores and said that it was getting to be too time-consuming.
5. The report claimed that outsourced workers in India took hours to compile the data they tracked which was then used to generate receipts that customers would receive much later.

What has Amazon said on 'Just Walk Out' tech

Amazon said that the Just Walk Out tech will now be replaced by smart carts which will allow customers to skip checkout line. Customers will also see their spending in real time. Amazon spokesperson Carly Golden said the company heard from customers who enjoy skipping the checkout line but also wanted to view their receipts and savings. Smart carts will give customers these benefits as well as the convenience of skipping checkout line, the spokesperson said.