Thread

1. gps372 · 1790076071 · focus · HN ↗

   Most comments may have ignored this so far, but this is an interesting AI based research.

   At the end of the article is this excerpt

   >> Results from this research were generated using an AI computer vision model developed by the research team on Bristol’s Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer. Isambard-AI powered the analysis of 172.6 hours of live match footage from all 104 games played between 11 June and 19 July 2026.

   So, basically now merchandizers, auditors, compliance monitors, etc. have a tool using which they can quantify whether broadcaster complied with contractual requirements of showing their ads/merch/logos as per contract. And if they missed, then they can quantify the delta - to sue the broadcaster for the balance as well.

   Also, it can enable many countries, where certain content is not allowed, then this tool can simply give them data points without having to employ someone, or have someone review the output of the AI tooling.

   1. brookst · 1790078538 · focus · HN ↗

      This is also being done in retail, where manufacturers and/or distributors pay for preferred placement (end caps, eye level, etc), but how do you check that e.g. Safeway is really doing that across a couple of thousand stores?

      You hire minimum wage people to walk around stores with cameras. This was actually done with notepads occasionally, but so much less expensive tondo with AI.

      1. gps372 · 1790081684 · focus · HN ↗

         True, in-store planogram compliance and floor-plan compliance have got in focus again. It never lost the focus to be honest, just that now there is an expectation to do it while ensuring nothing fall through the cracks.

         But there is a much more stringent privacy requirement here since customers walking in those stores haven't really signed up for this analysis. Hence, difficult to just setup the camera and take continuous data for analysis.

         1. brookst · 1790083353 · focus · HN ↗

            Interesting on the privacy angle. I’m not sure anyone is really caring about that; there are lots of companies offering automated compliance services. I’m not super close to that industry but close enough that I’ve heard the pitches, and even the “no expectation of privacy in public” CYA has never come up.

            What’s going to be fun are robotic stockers, racing to ensure compliance when a person/bot flagged as an auditor is in the store.

            You’ll be reaching for the Pepsi and some robot will swoop in and replace the entire shelf with Coke when the Pepsi auditor walks into the store. Then you’ll reach to bottom shelf for your Coke and just as the robot swaps it back to eye level because the Coke auditor walked in. The store having sold the same placement to both.

            (Ok, a bit far-fetched, but entertaining)

            1. gps372 · 1790162191 · focus · HN ↗

               This might be already happening. Competitor's market share (without details) is common to share. Scintilla onboarded by Walmart earlier this year might already be giving instore AI capabilities.
         2. pixl97 · 1790090653 · focus · HN ↗

            >since customers walking in those stores haven't really signed up for this analysis

            In the US at least there is no requirement for this. You're already being watched, tracked, and put in identification databases as it is.

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