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Whether you\u2019re dodging Flock cameras<\/a> on the freeway, ever-listening smartphones<\/a> in your pocket, or AI bots<\/a> at the drive-thru, it\u2019s nearly impossible to avoid some type of AI-integrated device these days.<\/p>\n Now it turns out that not even your grocery store is safe, as Instacart increasingly deploys AI smart carts to grocery stores across the United States. In a recent joint press release<\/a>, Instacart and the Northeastern grocery-chain Weis Markets announced the deployment of AI integrated carts across select Weis locations in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Called \u201cCaper Carts,\u201d the proprietary grocery carts are equipped with numerous camera sensors, digital weight scales, a touchscreen, and \u201clocation-tracking systems\u201d in order to make \u201cevery trip more informed and rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe technology is part of Instacart\u2019s broader approach to Physical AI for grocery, combining edge computing on Caper Carts with cloud AI trained on more than 1.6 billion online grocery orders and a decade of grocery expertise,\u201d the press release chimes.<\/p>\n Basically, the carts track what customers are spending in real-time, bombarding them with ads and eCoupons via the cart\u2019s on-board screen depending on what products they\u2019re nearby in the store.<\/p>\n \u201cFeatures like the \u2018Got everything you need?\u2019 prompt are already showing how real-time, location-aware prompts can influence customer purchasing behavior by driving a nearly one percentage point lift in basket size on average, a strong early signal of what in-store digital engagement can deliver,\u201d the announcement declares.<\/p>\n Caper Carts will also harangue lucky customers to sign up for Weis Rewards, the grocery chain\u2019s customer loyalty system, as well as pester them with features like \u201cBuy It Again,\u201d which \u201csurfaces previously purchased items to help build baskets more efficiently,\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n Maybe it sounds dystopian, but AI shopping carts are fast becoming the norm for certain stores across the country. As the press release boasts, Instacart has tripled<\/a> its number of Caper Carts deployments over previous years. Meanwhile, companies like Kroger have explored their own smart-cart options, complete with their own proprietary battery of nauseating AI features nobody asked for.<\/p>\n If they\u2019re anything like previous no-checkout grocery experiments<\/a>, it\u2019s likely we\u2019ll soon learn about the underpaid gig workers sitting on the other end of each and every Caper Cart camera.<\/p>\n