Japanese Supermarket Chain Implements AI to Monitor Staff Smiles and Speech

AEON, a prominent Japanese supermarket chain, has integrated an artificial intelligence (AI) system to assess and evaluate staff smiles and speech tones, aiming to standardize employee behavior. This move has sparked a renewed debate on workplace ethics.

AEON’s s mile-gauging AI

AEON has implemented the AI system across its 240 outlets in Japan, marking a significant step in retail technology. According to the South China Morning Post, AEON has become the first business globally to use a smile-gauging AI system.

However, this is not Japan’s first foray into regulating expressions. Previously, SoftBank introduced “emotion-canceling” technology in its call centers to mitigate angry customer voices, claiming it would enhance customer relations and reduce employee stress.

The AI system at AEON incorporates over 450 factors, including voice volume, tone of greetings, and facial expressions. It also features gamified elements to make staff training more engaging, allowing employees to improve their attitudes by competing with software-generated scores. 

AEON revealed that the system underwent a trial phase in eight stores, involving 3,400 workers. The company reported a 1.6-fold improvement in staff attitudes within three months of deployment. AEON’s objective is to use the software to “standardize staff members’ smiles and maximize customer satisfaction.”

Ethical concerns and employee feedback

Using AI to standardize human behavior has raised ethical concerns among workers. Critics argue that such systems could exacerbate workplace harassment by customers. Known locally as “kasu-hara,” customer harassment involves abusive language and repetitive complaints, which are already significant issues in Japan.

UA Zensen, the largest Japanese trade union representing workers in various sectors, surveyed 30,000 employees. Nearly half reported experiencing some form of customer harassment. One participant expressed that enforcing standardized smiles could be another form of customer harassment. 

Another noted that smiles should be genuine and not treated as a commodity. A third respondent commented that standardizing human attitudes with AI seems impersonal and unwise, as people express affection differently.

Some observers compare AEON’s strategy to McDonald’s Japan’s “Smile zero yen” policy, introduced in the 1980s. This policy, listing “Smile” for “0 yen” on menus, aimed to remind staff to greet customers pleasantly. 

However, this approach has been questioned in recent years, as it adds an extra burden to some of the country’s lowest-paid workers. Companies are now striving to maintain service quality without compromising staff morale. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare published guidelines against customer harassment in 2022 to address these concerns.

Innovative customer service initiatives

In a positive development, a supermarket in Fukuoka prefecture introduced “extra slow” checkout counters to accommodate disabled and senior customers. These counters allow customers to complete their purchases without feeling rushed, taking up to 20 minutes per transaction. As local television reported, this initiative led to a 10% increase in sales despite fewer customers using the slower checkout lanes.

The deployment of AI systems in retail settings like AEON’s reflects the ongoing balance between technological advancements and ethical considerations in the workplace. As more companies explore such technologies, the debate over their implications for employee well-being and customer relations continues.

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