Scandal or progress ? Intermarché's new checkouts monitor your every move using AI

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A camera that films your every move as you check out. This scenario, worthy of an episode of Black Mirror, becomes reality in Intermarché stores. The brand has just announced the national deployment of Vynamic Smart Vision, a system developed by Diebold Nixdorf that uses artificial intelligence to track scanning errors and attempted theft at self-checkouts.

Relentless surveillance that lets nothing slip through

The results of the test conducted since March 2024 at the Intermarché in La Farlède, in the Var, speak for themselves. The error rate at checkouts has dropped from 3% to 1%, while staff interventions have decreased by 15%. How to explain such efficiency ? The system leaves nothing to chance. Each movement is analyzed in real time by artificial intelligence.

A customer who stacks two identical products to scan only one ? The AI ​​spots it instantly. An item that passes in front of the scanner without being registered ? An alert is immediately displayed on the screen. A person who tries to leave the checkout without paying ? The system immediately alerts a store employee.

Between optimization and generalized surveillance

For Hervé Grelet, Vice President France at Diebold Nixdorf, this technology represents a major step forward: ” Our solution, centered on consumers and staff, effectively combats shrinkage while ensuring a smooth shopping experience “. The first feedback seems to prove him right. Laurent Hugou, a member of the La Farlède pilot store, says that the technology has become “ indispensable » after only six months of use.

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But this widespread surveillance raises questions. What about the protection of personal data ? The brand assures that the images are not stored and that the system scrupulously complies with the GDPR. However, some customers are concerned about this permanent surveillance, even if it is limited to the checkout areas.

A turning point in French mass distribution

Faced with the success of the Var test, the Les Mousquetaires group does not intend to stop there. The deployment will extend to all Intermarché stores, but also to the Netto and Bricomarché brands. A decision that could be emulated in the sector.

This generalization marks a turning point in the relationship between distributors and consumers. On the one hand, brands are seeking to reduce their losses in a tense economic context. On the other, customers see their freedom of movement shrink under the ever more vigilant eye of smart cameras.

French mass retail is entering a new era, where artificial intelligence is becoming the safeguard for self-service checkouts. A development that responds to real economic challenges, but which raises the question of the surveillance society that we are gradually entering. Consumers will have to get used to these electronic eyes that scrutinize their gestures, for better… and perhaps for worse.

• Intermarché deploys smart cameras above its self-checkouts to track errors and thefts
• The system reduced errors by 66% and staff interventions by 15% during the pilot test
• The Les Mousquetaires group will generalize this technology to all its brands, despite potential consumer reluctance regarding the protection of privacy

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