Amazon’s AI-run stores were a little too magical to be true

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Key Points

Theres a grey area in artificial intelligence (AI) filled with millions of humans who work in secrettheyre often hired to train algorithms, but end up operating much of their work instead..

These crucial workers took the spotlight this week when The Information reported that Amazons Just Walk Out technology, which allowed customers to grab grocery items from a shelf and walk out of the store, was being phased out of its grocery stores..

Facebook famously shut down its text-based virtual assistant M in 2018 after more than two years, during which the company used human workers to train (and operate) its underlying artificial intelligence system..

A startup called x.ai, which marketed an AI personal assistant that scheduled meetings, had humans doing that work instead and shut down in 2021 after it struggled to get to a point where the algorithms could work independently..

Theres a fine line between faking it till you make itjustifying the use of humans behind the scenes on the premise they will eventually be replaced by algorithmsand exploiting the hype and fuzzy definitions around AI to exaggerate the capabilities of your technology..

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