The Scary Downsides of Amazon Go
With the arrival of the first “Amazon Go” store in Seattle , this automated convenience store lives up to its Just Walk Out mantra in a ground breaking way.
photo : Elaine Thompson chicagotribune.com
Simply walk in, scan your phone at a turnstile with the Amazon Go app and you’re good to go!
Through machine-learning technology, it automatically identifies the products placed in your virtual shopping cart and charges you on the Amazon Go App. Once you leave the turnstiles, your phone updates with a digital receipt along with a trip timer telling you how many seconds you spent shopping.
The best part ? Skipping the long line ups and check outs.
Yet with every pro, comes a (few) cons.
Say Goodbye to Privacy
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Since Amazon Go relies on sophisticated data gathering operation, the store is filled with hundreds of machine learning cameras (including computer vision) that tracks your every movement and figures out what items you pick out.
In other words: every item you scan and every move you make, a camera will be watching you. cue song from Sting here
Additionally, since your shopping experience is connected to your Amazon profile, the global retailer now has more data than ever to collect on you. Think : where you live, what you eat, what sections in the store you’re dwelling in, what items you look most at etc.
Pleasure over Budget
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Gone are the days of rethinking what’s in your grocery cart while the cashier rings up your bill. Since there’s no long lines or checkouts, the store’s format is set up for impulse buying.
Think about it : no cashiers, no line ups, no “physical” bill = shoplifting rush!
Cashiers : Where Art Thou?
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The grocery store holds among the largest employers of individuals.
As much as employees see the financial benefits behind a “cashier less” store, it also means lots of job scarcity within the realm.
The introduction of this new technology creates threat and can ultimately create an impending doom for many working in the food/ service industry.
Exterior of Amazon Go. photo : amazon.com
Takeaways
Amazon claims it has no plans in place to introduce this technology to any other suitable sites right now . Yet they own Whole Foods, which is roaring up an expansion to several locations in the coming years.
Amazon Go will have to undergo the "pressure test" that only a large volume of busy buyers in the real settings could provide. If it comes to fruition, we may remember this milestone as a path we never turned down.
I think one of the worst parts of this type of concept is that the majority of people will embrace it, and not care about the downsides such as extra data-gathering with its greater loss of privacy.
Bit by bit our lives are being herded in certain directions, and micro-managed to death; but because it is in increments it is less obvious what is happening. Add to that the 'pleasure factor' people are given it is little wonder so many embrace it without thought for the real consequences.
sigh
@ravenruis- completely agree! i think its easy to get hyped up about the perks yet not see the true downside to it all. Some people honestly don't mind putting themselves out there and having cameras gather their information, others like us are more irky about it. The "pleasure factor" is what blindsides the reality of things to come.
It was just a matter of time before humans were taken out of the marketplace as workers, it's been some time in the making. No worries :)
sad reality huh? I think it's a matter of adapting to these changes. As much as they'll be job losses within these realms, they'll also be an emergence of new ones :)
Wow!! I can't believe this is actually a thing. Well written post!
@jeremyc I know right?? I was in shock as well haha , doubt it'll be heading towards us anytime soon 😛
thanks :)
Food for thought. Enjoyed your post!
@rebelheart - thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
Personally I think it is awesome. I wish there was one near me 😢
The privacy thing isn't a huge worry for me as I don't care who knows what my favorite foods are. Most people share their food choices on social media with the world anyway. The cameras? Well, if you've ever been to a Microsoft store, they put you in their facial recognition system without you realizing. It's really not as uncommon as you would think.
People losing jobs isn't nice but is normally the result of innovation. Hopefully people will be able to find new jobs, perhaps even at Amazon.
@carn haha it does it have its perks ! I get where you're coming from. It really depends on how open you are to it . Some people are super private and the thought of a company collecting data on a wider level makes them feel uncomfortable. While others are okay with it. You're totally right about Microsoft and their facial recognition! Crazy how times they are a c-h-a-n-g-i-n' . Ditto on the job market, with new advancements comes new job, people will just need to adapt to the changes :)