Why Coles Just Hired U.S. Defence Contractor Palantir
February 25th, 2024When I worked for FedEx decades ago, employees had to code every minute of our time on the clock into specific activities. This was all self reported on a paper time sheet and then we entered the times and work codes into our “Supertrackers” (the handheld computers you see FedEx employees using) at the end of shift. All of that data was uploaded to the company’s computer system for analysis by beancounters. Every employee. Every day.
My guess is that would be a relaxing walk in the park compared to having the Palantir monkey on your back throughout the workday.
Via: The Conversation:
What does the Australian supermarket chain Coles have in common with the CIA? As of last week, both are clients of Palantir Technologies, a US tech company “focused on creating the world’s best user experience for working with data”.
In a three-year deal, Coles plans to deploy Palantir’s tools across more than 840 supermarkets to cut costs and “redefine how we think about our workforce”.
Research Credit: GB
And also how they think about their customers? A camera catches everything it’s aimed at, not just the supposed target.
Your comment reminds me of this from New Zealand:
https://www.foodstuffs.co.nz/news-room/2022/A-new-technology-being-trialled-in-North-Island-stores-to-keep-teams-and-customers-safe
In an attempt to proactively reduce serious incidents in stores, Foodstuffs North Island is undertaking a trial of facial recognition technology in approximately 30 stores across North Island.
In the US, many grocery store cash registers have cameras above and in front of them, supposedly to catch employee errors. Looks to me like their placement will also catch the customer’s actions and the clerk bagging the groceries. There are cameras in all the aisles, too, supposedly to catch shoplifters. They’ve been there for at least ten years. Those North Islanders are just catching up. 🙂
“To keep teams and customers safe” from what? The kid whose running away from them?