Massachusetts business using crime-stopping AI to catch shoplifters within seconds

WHITMAN, Mass. — Shoplifting is having an impact on prices in many local stores, now one company is using “AI,” artificial Intelligence to help businesses detect thieves in the act.

“My family started the business in 1998, when we bought Regal Marketplace,” said George Vemis, General Manager, Regal Marketplace.

Vemis said his Whitman business is a one-stop shop with food service, groceries, beer, wine, and liquor. But, it’s also a hotspot for thieves.

Vemis said $100 in stolen goods could cost the store $500 to break even.

“We had recently been hit by some professional shoplifters, who pretty much have, like, sewn-in pockets in their jackets where they can slip something in really quick and hide it really well,” said Vemis.

He said he came across “Veesion” on Instagram. The French-based company uses artificial intelligence to detect shoplifters in real-time.

Benoît Koenig, the chief of sales for Veesion, said a device was plugged into a store’s security camera system.

Using his laptop, he showed Boston 25 what the algorithm sees next to the original video stream. He said the algorithm relies on different bricks working together to recognize any gesture.

Koenig said the technology works for specific hand gestures, like snatching a bottle off of a shelf and hiding it in your jacket pocket. He said the owner of the store should get a phone notification within 10 seconds.

Vemis said he’s had the technology connected to his store’s cameras for nearly five months now and it’s already helped him catch shoplifters red-handed.

“Since the institution in the program, probably about four, which has been really good,” said Vemis, “You know, approximately a retail floor space of 15,000ft². There could be 30 or 40 customers in here at once. And with 60 cameras, your eyes can’t be everywhere at all times.”

While he said the technology hasn’t been 100 percent accurate, he’d rather be safe than sorry.

“We do get a quite a few false alerts because people might take their cell phone out of their bag or put their cell phone in their bag. But we do like it because it gives us the ability to be able to see, and what’s going on inside the store,” said Vemis.

Koenig said the technology costs a couple of hundred dollars a month depending on the size of the store. He said Vemis is paying $200-$400 per month, something he considers much cheaper than hiring a security guard.

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