Europe's first AI-powered automated grocery store opens in France

In Crolles, near Grenoble, STMicroelectronics is testing an automated convenience store exclusively for employees. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), purchases will be automatically credited to their salaries, marking a new step in the application of technology to everyday life.

A grocery store with no cashiers, no sales staff and no payment terminals has just opened on the STMicroelectronics campus in Crolles, Isère province.

Inside a shipping container nicknamed “24/7” is a small convenience store that offers a variety of products such as frozen meals, chips, pasta, drinks and pastries. Thanks to AI technology, company employees only need to use their employee badges to enter and pay without any other form of transaction.

“When you enter the store, the camera creates a virtual avatar of you. It is not a facial recognition system. These cameras follow you throughout your shopping journey to record the products you take. When you leave the store, the cost of your purchases is automatically calculated,” said Frédéric Claret, CEO of Fujitsu France and Switzerland, the company behind the technology, in an interview with France 3. The total amount spent is then deducted directly from the employee’s salary.

“We are proud to offer this unique service, tailored specifically to our facility operations and complementing our existing catering services,” said Eric Gerondeau, STMicroelectronics facility manager at Crolles.

The French-Italian group's chip is integrated directly into the employee identification system, allowing for complete automation of the purchasing process.

According to Mr. Gerondeau, the initiative is “a testing ground for what artificial intelligence can do to make everyday life simpler. Using electronics to improve people’s lives is at the core of what we do.”

Currently the “24/7” store is the only one in Europe, but STMicroelectronics has plans to replicate this model in other industrial facilities in the future.

The automated convenience store at Crolles is reminiscent of similar experiments in Europe and the US. The giant Amazon pioneered the Amazon Go chain in the US in 2018, followed by Amazon Fresh in the UK.

The model allows customers to enter, select items and leave without queuing to pay, thanks to a network of cameras, sensors and AI algorithms.

Payments are deducted directly from customers' Amazon accounts, although they still have to register a payment method in advance, and there are always staff on hand to restock or assist buyers.

In Europe, many large retailers are also experimenting with cashier-free shopping. In Germany, REWE is partnering with Israeli startup Trigo, which uses computer vision technology to track customers’ movements and product selection.

In France, Auchan is also experimenting with the same technology. In Italy, Sensei Retail has developed the “TuDay Conad” model for the Conad chain, an automated convenience store in Verona, where customers can shop without waiting for traditional checkouts.

However, these systems still rely on mobile apps or pre-registered bank accounts, while the store in Crolles stands out thanks to its fully automated internal payment mechanism, directly linked to employee cards - a typical European step in integrating AI into corporate life./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/first-automatic-automatic-automatic-machine-using-ai-door-of-chau-au-mo-cua-tai-phap-post1076217.vnp