New AI-powered checkout can guess your age and reduce theft

Checkout terminal manufacturer Diebold Nixdorf released new technology Thursday that uses artificial intelligence at its cashierless registers to reduce shrink, verify age for liquor sales, and speed up the process of buying products without barcodes.

The Canton, Ohio-based company debuted the new technology this week at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show convention in New York City, where Christoph Annemüller, Diebold Nixdorf’s head of AI product management, gave Supermarket News a sneak peak.

The new tech uses computer vision to detect whether shoppers deliberately fail to scan an item, accidentally add an item without scanning, use false barcodes, or scan only one of several items. 

Annemüller explained that the new tech also provides age verification for liquor sales. An algorithm estimates the age of the customer within 2½ years, and those estimated to be over the age of 27 are allowed to purchase the products without calling an employee. Those estimated to be under 27 require ID verification, he said. 

Diebold Nixdorf’s new checkout tech also can speed up checkout for produce purchases, using computer vision to determine the type of produce and number items. 

Diebold said the three new functions aim “to prevent the most common sources of loss at self-service and traditional POS checkouts.” The company’s shrink reduction tech, "Vynamic Smart Vision I Shrink Reduction" is powered by AI tech firm SeeChange.

“We designed our new AI-powered offerings based on insights we've gained deploying millions of POS and thousands of self-checkouts across the major retailers we work with,” said Matt Redwood, vice president of retail technology solutions at Diebold Nixdorf, in a statement.