Auror, an artificial intelligence program, is being used by Australian retail giants and the police to identify repeat shoplifters
Even if we don't always know when and where AI will be used, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a commonplace in the modern world. Petty thievery and organized retail crime are both estimated to be worth millions of dollars per day. Criminal organizations frequently collaborate with different businesses to steal specific goods to resell.
Theoretically, Coles and Woolworths might collaborate to find a gang of shoplifters utilizing Auror and a larger data collection. Major Australian shops like Woolworths and Bunnings are also utilizing AI, in the form of software called Auror, even though ChatGPT, Siri, and Alexa are among the most well-known AI platforms. The software, according to Phil Thomson, CEO of Auror, is used to catch shoplifters. According to Auror, it collaborates with law enforcement agencies around the nation to assist retailers in giving investigators evidence.
"There are different tools that a retailer can choose to use," he says. "So, with an image, once that's uploaded into the platform, that can then be referenced across crimes reported today, to see if it's the same person who's committed those other offences." According to Mr. Thomson, the AI is capable of identifying crimes and alerting security personnel in real-time, but only if it finds wrongdoing.
For a few years, retailers have been experimenting with AI and facial recognition. Australia's privacy watchdog is currently looking both Bunnings and Kmart for using a different facial recognition program. Mr. Thompson claims that Auror operates differently.
However, because privacy rules are still being developed, Nicholas Davis, an expert in emerging technologies from the University of Technology Sydney, warns that merchants' use of AI may still be a cause for concern. "Retailers that track you in stores, when that reveals who you are or other aspects of you and is shared outside that organization, that can be a violation of the Privacy Act."
Retailers, not a software company, ultimately have the responsibility for privacy.
The Australian Federal Police said in 2020 that employees had tested the contentious program Clearview AI, which "scrapes" photographs of people from social media and other websites. Later, the privacy commissioner discovered that both the US firm and the AFP had violated Australians' privacy rights by utilizing the tool in violation of their privacy duties. Neil Gaughan, the chief police officer for the ACT, claims that Auror is utilized differently. Although it might reduce some administrative labor, according to Deputy Commissioner Gaughan, traditional police work is still required.