Japan Supermarket Chain Becomes World's First To Use AI To "Assess And Standardise" Staff Smiles

In recent years, the AI trend has taken over social media platforms and has become the latest viral craze. From passing medical and law exams to delivering speeches, artificial intelligence has evolved so much that it even converses with users and offers solutions to their problems. Now, in a world first, a Japanese supermarket chain has adopted an AI system to assess and standardise its employees' smiles, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The AI system, called 'Mr Smile', was developed by the Japanese technology company InstaVR and it is said to be able to accurately rate a shop assistant's service attitude. 

The supermarket chain AEON announced earlier this month that it had become the world's first company to promote the smile-gauging AI system, which it is using across its 240 stores around the country. According to SCMP, the company said that with its latest AI tech, it aims to "standardise staff members' smiles and satisfy customers to the maximum". 

Notably, the system draws on more than 450 elements including facial expressions, voice volume and tone of greetings. It has also been designed with "game" elements that invite staff to improve their attitude by challenging their scores. 

Also Read | World's Most Powerful Passports 2024 List Released: Indian Passport Ranks At...

The supermarket chain first ran a trial of the system in eight stores with about 3,400 staff members. It found service attitude improved by up to 1.6 times over a period of three months. 

However, this policy has sparked a debate about workplace harassment, especially from customers. "When the service industry workers are forced to smile according to a 'standard', it looks to me like another form of customer harassment," one social media user wrote, per SCMP. 

"Smiles should be a beautiful, heartfelt thing, and not be treated like a product," another said. "People are different, and they also express their affections differently. Using a machine to 'standardise' people's attitude sounds cold and silly," said a third.