Cambridgeshire Trading Standards approve use of artificial intelligence technology to verify customers’ age

An app that can accurately estimate the age of someone using facial recognition has been approved for use in Cambridgeshire to help identify those underage.

Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Trading Standards has approved the use of the AgeAI – an artificial intelligence app – that can reportedly identify 18 to 20-year-olds with 100% accuracy as being under 25 which would allow stores to automate age checks, support staff, and effectively avoid costly fines that come with selling products with age-restrictions to minors.

AgeAI is made by technology company Privately SA. The app can help retailers streamline age verification, automatically record refusals – a licensing requirement for premises – and help reduce bottlenecks around checkouts.

It is estimated that a normal ID check can take up to two to three minutes of a cashier's time. The AgeAI app can be installed onto store devices allowing the cashier to view the main screen while customers’ faces are visible to the device’s cameras.

The cashier chooses an age range such as over 25 and then the app will offer a traffic-light system of green or red so that staff will know immediately whether to ask for a customer’s ID or not.

Mark Oliver, the business hub manager for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Trading Standards said: "Providing minors with age-appropriate user experiences is a major priority in 2024 and beyond.

"The AgeAI solution is a really good example of how technology can be adapted to meet the needs of businesses working in increasingly regulated and challenging retail environments."