The company has not (yet) introduced face recognition and replaced cashiers with vending machines. Only one detail distinguishes the IRL supermarket from a regular supermarket: long rows of cameras suspended from the ceiling.

Machine learning technology detects when products on the shelves are running low and alerts employees. The cameras also monitor the freshness of the products - if the bananas on the shelf have darkened, the staff will be reminded that it is time to replace them.

The system passes 1.6 TB of data per second, so Walmart had to install a data center in the supermarket. All data is stored for a week and then destroyed. The company says that this is the first such "AI laboratory" in the retail sector. But it is obvious that it will not be the last.

Another large retail chain, Walgreens, has equipped refrigerators in its stores with doors with cameras and motion tracking sensors. They analyze the gender, age, and emotional state of customers to show them targeted ads.