Retail chain Iki has initiated a four-week pilot at a store in Vilnius, Lithuania, to test an AI-powered age verification system developed by StrongPoint Technology.
Intended to streamline the checkout process, the AI-driven solution aims to cut down the frequency of employee-assisted age checks by 50%.
StrongPoint Technology head Julius Stulpinus has stated that AI-based facial age recognition expedites transactions for 60% of instances that would typically require staff involvement.
Iki Lietuva CEO Nijolė Kvietkauskaitė points out that age verification accounts for about 40% of all interruptions during self-service checkout.
The implementation of this intelligent AI system could automate more than half of these instances, reducing staff interjections by approximately one-third. Employees can then redirect their focus towards enhancing customer service and other tasks.
Stulpinas stated: "Automatic facial recognition technology shortens the age verification process at self-service checkouts from an average of 30 seconds to less than ten seconds. This solution reduces queues, speeds up the shopping process and allows employees to focus on more meaningful work.
"This shows how smart technologies can imperceptibly but significantly improve our daily experience, making previously annoying moments completely unnoticeable."
Iki has integrated the AI technology into a self-service checkout at its store on Pilaitės Ave 42. This will help the retailer to ensure that customers meet the required age threshold for purchasing age-restricted items.
The trial will evaluate the system's performance in real-world conditions. The AI system's secure architecture ensures that all age determination actions occur directly on the device, without sending or storing facial images. With customer consent, the facial profile is scanned, the result is delivered and the data is immediately deleted.
The system's independence from an internet connection underscores its privacy and security features.
Kvietkauskaitė stated: "With this test, we are testing how to make it even faster for customers to pay at self-service checkouts, and for us to ensure responsible sales of age-restricted goods without additional employee involvement."
