Though we often think of high-powered surveillance systems as only common in secure areas, a new investigation has revealed that they are already in place in supermarkets in Switzerland. Coop has admitted to using special AI-powered surveillance cameras in its stores, to try and recognise suspicious behaviour at self-checkouts.

AI surveillance cameras in use in Swiss supermarkets

According to an investigation by Swiss newspaper Le Temps, Coop is starting to install more cameras at its self-checkout stations. The devices, boosted by artificial intelligence, are said to be able to recognise “suspicious” behaviour at the tills.

Coop workers speaking to Le Temps said that they were not allowed to explain what the cameras were to customers. However, they did note that the AI is able to inform staff of any person who displays "suspicious behaviour"- how the software does this remains unclear.

That said, an insight can be found in German supermarkets: a recent survey by the DPA noted that brands like Rewe, IKEA and Rossmann are either using or testing AI cameras in their branches. The AIs in these stores can identify when someone places an item into a bag without scanning it, after which a message informing the customer of the mistake is displayed. They are also able to tell when the number of items scanned differs hugely from the number of items in the bag.

New investigations launched into AI cameras at Coop

Coop has since admitted that the cameras are used “in some branches” - devices have been spotted in Lausanne and some locations in Canton Zurich. They said that while customers are alerted to the camera’s presence via a pictogram at the entrance to stores, for security reasons they are unable to say where they are positioned or how they work.

The findings have been met with alarm among legal experts. Speaking to Le Temps, lawyer François Charlet noted that "many people do not expect a camera to be equipped with artificial intelligence. […] You cannot assume that a customer is sufficiently informed with such general information. The use of this software requires at least clear information for the person concerned."

For their part, the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner wrote in a statement that they did not know about the AI cameras in Coop. "Even if Coop has a legitimate interest in monitoring its customers for security reasons, any form of video surveillance must comply with data protection principles," they told Le Temps. They have since contacted the supermarket to clarify what the cameras are being used for.

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