Gene Michael Stover
Tuesday, 2024 August 6
updated Friday, 2024 August 23
original at https://cybertiggyr.com/bw59ed.html
I've seen a few videos on YouTube claiming that Amazon tried to deceive us with its “Just Walk Out” technology. Amazon stated that artificial intelligence & machine learning enable this technology. However, the videos allege that Amazon employs 1,000 people in India to monitor the cameras, implying that A.I. isn't used, & therefore Amazon attempted to deceive us.
“Just Walk Out” technology is experimental, & it would be reasonable for Amazon to hire personnel to review the transactions for accuracy. However, it's the software that initially makes the decisions, & unless there are errors, these decisions are upheld. Furthermore, if they relied on machine learning, they would need humans to label transactions or more likely, to identify errors. Over time, I would expect the need for human monitors to decrease.
To me, the claims of the YouTubers seemed inaccurate & revealed a misunderstanding of the technology.
Amazon's “Just Walk Out” technology was introduced in 2016.[1]
The initial plan was to rely on machine learning to refine the software, with a team of humans correcting any erroneous decisions made by the software.[1]
However, the software never achieved the anticipated level of accuracy. According to [1], “As of mid-2022, 'Just Walk Out' required about 700 human reviews per 1,000 transactions, far above an internal target of reducing the number of reviews to between 20 and 50 per 1,000 transactions.” (This information might be sourced from another report, so it could be a secondary citation.)
This raises questions about the term "reviews." To me, a review implies a human double-check, but in this context, it seems that humans had to correct 7 out of 10 decisions made by the software.
Amazon plans to phase out “Just Walk Out” in favor of other technologies, such as smart carts.
The YouTubers are correct in stating that Amazon's “Just Walk Out” technology did not perform as well as hoped. This could be seen as evidence supporting the idea that the trajectory of AI improvements may soon encounter a decline, similar to previous cycles of AI hype & disappointment.
However, the claim that Amazon tried to deceive anyone is unfounded. The employment of a team of human reviewers was a necessary part of the technology's implementation; their use was not misleading. The technology simply failed to advance as anticipated, & Amazon has openly acknowledged this & plans to discontinue it. There was no deception involved.
1. Amazon Fresh kills Just Walk Out shopping tech — it never really worked. By Ron Amadeo. 2024 April. arstechnica.com
2. How the Amazon Go Store’s AI Works. By Ryan Gross. 2019 June. towardsdatascience.com
3. Amazon's no-checkout flop shows AI's limits. By Scott Rosenberg. 2024 April. axios.com