|
The Morning Download: Facial Recognition Hits the Mall; Small Medical-Device Makers Embrace AI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Security camera feed at Janss Marketplace. The shorter lines on the screen show the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. PHOTO: MICHAL CZERWONKA FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
|
|
|
Good day, CIOs. Facial recognition has found a home in the all-American shopping mall. As is the case with their online rivals, the goal of the artificial intelligence-enabled effort is to collect as much data as possible about shopping habits, from traffic patterns through the mall to consumer reactions to displays and marketing. The Wall Street Journal's Esther Fung has more.
The Hills (Mall) Have Eyes. "Facial-recognition technology has advanced to the point that U.S. malls could know shoppers’ names when they enter, watch what they buy and send them promotions to encourage repeat visits," says the WSJ.
[Continued below…]
|
|
|
Industry executives say they won't go that far. “The objective is to make sure you provide better service and support, not to violate people’s privacy," said Sandy Sigal, CEO of shopping mall owner NewMark Merrill Cos.
|
|
|
|
|
Julie Charlestein, chief executive of Premier Dental Products, believes AI will keep the business alive for another century. PHOTO: PREMIER DENTAL PRODUCTS CO.
|
|
|
AI helps small medical-device makers punch above their weight. Julie Charlestein, chief executive of Premier Dental Products, which was founded by her great-grandfather in 1913, believes AI will keep the business alive for another century, CIO Journal's Agam Shah reports.
Developing paths of insight. The company is using machine-learning algorithms to analyze historical sales data, information on dental procedures purchased from a data company, and U.S. dental industry trends to predict which products dentists are likely to need. Premier then uses that insight to determine what to promote.
The analysis also can tell the company what customers don’t need. “Deciding not to do something in medical device development is as valuable as deciding to do something,” Ms. Charlestein said.
Cold water poured on Baidu's AI plans. A speech on artificial intelligence by Baidu Inc. CEO Robin Li during the opening the company's annual conference was interrupted when a man walked on stage and poured water on the executive. Mr. Li responded: “There are many difficulties on the road to achieve AI, but it will not impact Baidu’s determination.” (Reuters)
|
|
|
$12.9 Billion
|
The amount venture investors have poured into real-estate tech startups in the first half of 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
Amazon’s biggest acquisition, Whole Foods, was valued at $13.7 billion. PHOTO: DANIA MAXWELL/BLOOMBERG NEWS
|
|
|
Amazon’s deal making threatened by D.C. scrutiny. Congress plans a bipartisan examination of antitrust law and whether tech companies like Amazon.com Inc. are growing too powerful to the detriment of smaller rivals and customers. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission also plan to examine tech giants for possible antitrust probes. The FTC, which cleared the Whole Foods acquisition, will have oversight of Amazon. (WSJ)
A whirlwind of acquistions. The company has struck more than $20 billion worth of acquisitions and investments since the start of 2017, more than its deal volume in all of the previous 23 years in the online retailer’s history, according to data provider Dealogic.
Irish regulators launch Apple probe. Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner, the European Union's main regulator, is looking into whether the company complied with GDPR regulations in the matter of a customer request. The office currently has 20 investigations concerning multinational tech company operations. (Reuters)
Waymo one step closer to Cali robo-taxis. California issued Alphabet Inc.'s self-driving approval to launch a taxi pilot program in the state. Waymo currently runs a limited number of robo-taxis in the Phoenix, Ariz., area. (CNBC)
|
|
|
|
Amazon’s biggest acquisition, Whole Foods, was valued at $13.7 billion. PHOTO: DANIA MAXWELL/BLOOMBERG NEWS
|
|
|
Commercial property joins tech revolution. The real-estate industry for years had a reputation for being slow to innovate, but with the values of many properties plateaueing, many owners view technology as a way to keep growing their bottom lines. Meanwhile, real-estate technology-specific venture funds have sprouted in Silicon Valley. (WSJ)
Big tech whack a mole turns to bogus cancer-treatment claims. Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube are detailing efforts aimed at the matter after a Journal investigation found misinformation about cancer treatment widely available on social-media sites. Bogus claims sometimes appeared alongside ads, videos or pages for proven treatments. (WSJ)
Blockchain at sea. Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG and Japan’s Ocean Network Express said Tuesday they will join the TradeLens platform launched by A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and International Business Machines Corp., giving the program five of the world’s six largest carriers controlling about 60% of the oceangoing container cargo capacity. For ocean carriers, blockchain lets participants share information as goods move through maritime-focused supply chains as well as reduce the cost of paperwork. (WSJ)
Logistics recruiters use geo-fencing to attract workers. In an industrial version of a strategy some retailers and restaurants use by tapping into the digital footprints consumers leave with their smartphones, some logistics recruiters are setting up virtual perimeters around facilities, including warehouses, sending targeted ads, texts or push notifications to location-enabled mobile devices. (WSJ)
Quote. "During some of these targeted campaigns for particular warehouses, we’ve had people walk across the street from one of our competitors to apply for a job on their lunch break,” said Randy Tucker, Americas chief executive for supply-chain operator Geodis SA.
|
|
|
The Morning Download won’t be published Thursday or Friday in observance of the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. We will be back on Monday.
|
|
|
Everything Else You Need to Know
|
|
|
The Trump administration dropped plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census form, a turnaround after days of defiant statements following last week’s Supreme Court decision to halt the query. (WSJ)
Lee Iacocca, the tough-talking, cigar-chomping auto executive who saved Chrysler in the early 1980s and became one of America’s first celebrity CEOs, has died at age 94 of complications related to Parkinson’s disease. (WSJ)
Nike defended its decision to pull a July Fourth shoe from shelves after NFL-star-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick objected to the design, a move that stoked controversy inside and outside the company. (WSJ)
Conditions at Border Patrol stations in South Texas are so bad that migrant men detained in one facility pleaded for help from government inspectors visiting in June, according to a Homeland Security report. (WSJ)
|
|
|
|