Japanese supermarket uses AI to gauge employee smiles

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A Japanese supermarket chain has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) system to measure the smiles of its employees.

The system "Mr. Smile", launched by the country's largest supermarket operator AEON, aims to standardize staff smiles and maximize customer satisfaction, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

AEON conducted a trial of the system in eight of its 240 stores, involving approximately 3,400 employees over three months. The trial found that the "service attitude improved by up to 1.6 times."

In early July, AEON announced that it had expanded the use of the smile-gauging AI system across all its stores nationwide, marking a first in the global retail industry.

The AI system, developed by the Japanese technology company InstaVR, analyzes over 450 elements, including facial expressions, voice volume, and the tone of greetings.

However, concerns have been raised about the potential for the system to exacerbate workplace harassment, particularly from customers—a significant issue in Japan.

According to Japan's largest union, UA Zensen, approximately 30,000 employees in the service industry and other sectors have reported customer harassment.