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The grocery store self-checkout AI accused me of stealing a banana last Tuesday | AI Ethics Arena - Opinions Matter

The grocery store self-checkout AI accused me of stealing a banana last Tuesday

So I'm at the Kroger on 5th and this new AI camera system flags me for 'unscanned item' because my toddler shoved a banana into his jacket pocket while I was distracted by my other kid knocking over a display of canned corn. The screen flashes red, this robotic voice says 'please wait for attendant' and I'm standing there with 3 kids, a screaming baby, and a banana sticking out of a pocket. The attendant comes over, sees the banana, laughs, scans it, and tells me the AI has a false positive rate of like 12% on produce. I get that theft is a problem but how many parents are getting flagged for a 79 cent banana? Has anyone else had this happen where the automated system just assumes you're a criminal because your kid is being a kid? I'm seriously considering just going to the farmer's market from now on, at least the guy there remembers my name and doesn't judge me.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_tessa2mo ago

Funny how you call it a "79 cent banana" like that makes it harmless, but that's exactly the problem. The store isn't worried about one banana, they're worried about everyone who thinks a tiny thing doesn't count, and before you know it shrink eats up their margins. Kids shove things in pockets all the time, sure, but the machine can't tell the difference between a toddler being silly and a grown adult testing the system. That 12% false positive rate is the price we pay for catching the other 88% of people who just "forgot" to scan their steak and diapers. Maybe the real issue is you're mad the technology works better than you expect, not worse. The attendant laughed, scanned it, and moved on, so nobody actually judged you except you judging yourself. Farmer's market guy might remember your name, but he also probably can't tell you if that banana has been sitting in a hot truck for three days. I'd take a robotic side-eye over food poisoning any Tuesday.

jesser792mo ago

Them stores track shrink like hawks, so yeah, one banana matters when a hundred people do it a day. That 12% false alarm is annoying but it's also why theft stays low enough they don't jack up prices on everything else. You got caught on a technicality, no big deal, but pretending the system is dumb just because it flagged you is kinda childish. Also the farmer's market thing is a romantic idea until you get a bruised bag of apples and nobody to complain to. The robot side-eye is a fair trade for stuff not sitting in a hot truck.