A MAJOR supermarket chain has rolled out a controversial new AI-powered “smile-rating AI system” for employees.
The Japanese chain, Aeon, adopted the system – dubbed “Mr Smile” – on July 1 in an effort to “standardise” their customers’ experiences.
The retail technology has been implemented in 240 stores across Japan, according to the South China Morning Post.
It involves game-like elements so staff aim to improve their service attitude by upping their scores.
Aeon said its goal was to “satisfy customers to the maximum”.
Developed by Japanese firm InstaVR, Mr Smile assesses each employee based on more than 450 factors, including their greeting, facial expressions, voice volume and tone.
It’s thought to be the first company in the world to use AI to measure the attitudes of customer facing employees.
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Mr Smile was first trialled in just eight stores, covering roughly 3,400 staff members.
The trial found that service attitude improved by up to 1.6 times over a three month period.
However, onlookers say the tech will enable more harassment from customers, which has been a serious issue in Japan.
“I think that the fixed idea that ‘store clerks should smile at customers no matter what’ is the root cause of many customer harassment,” one person said on X (formerly Twitter).
“If we want ’employees to smile at all times,’ we need a salary that is commensurate with that.”
Another added: “As a customer, I don’t need forced smiles and I don’t want to work in a place like this.”
Others have voiced concern over the increasing use of AI in public.
“I’m scared of being evaluated by AI,” said a third person.
While a fourth stated: “Stay human, employees. Smiles and service really come from within. Don’t let AI control you.”
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