Amazon plans to use AI and computer vision to improve its environmental initiatives and guarantee that customers receive products in perfect condition. The program, known as “Project P.I.” (short for “private investigator”), works at North American Amazon fulfillment centers, scanning millions of products every day for flaws.
Before products are delivered to customers, Project P.I. uses generative AI and computer vision technology to identify problems like broken goods or improper colors and sizes. In addition to detecting flaws, the AI model assists in locating the underlying reasons, allowing Amazon to put preventative measures in place earlier. In the locations where it has been implemented, this technology has demonstrated exceptional efficacy in precisely detecting product defects amidst the substantial quantity of goods handled on a monthly basis.
Every item goes through an imaging tunnel where Project P.I. assesses its condition before it is sent out. When a flaw is found, the product is isolated and further examined to see if it affects any other similar products.
After reviewing the items that have been reported, Amazon associates determine whether to donate them, resale them at a discount on Amazon’s Second Chance website, or use them for other purposes. With intentions to expand until 2024, this technology seeks to improve manual inspections at various fulfillment centers in North America by serving as an extra pair of eyes.
VP of Worldwide Selling Partner Services at Amazon, Dharmesh Mehta, stated: “We want to get the experience right for customers every time they shop in our store.”
“We are able to efficiently detect potentially damaged products and address more of those issues before they ever reach a customer, which is a win for the customer, our selling partners, and the environment,” the company says, utilizing artificial intelligence and product imaging within its operations facilities.
Another important component of Amazon’s sustainability activities is Project P.I. The technology assists in lowering needless returns, discarded packaging, and extraneous carbon emissions from transportation by keeping broken or defective goods from reaching customers.
“AI is helping Amazon ensure that we’re not just delighting customers with high-quality items, but we’re extending that customer obsession to our sustainability work by preventing less-than-perfect items from leaving our facilities and helping us avoid unnecessary carbon emissions due to transportation, packaging, and other steps in the returns process,” said Kara Hurst, vice president of worldwide sustainability at Amazon.
Amazon is utilizing a generative AI system that is outfitted with a Multi-Modal LLM (MLLM) in parallel to look at the underlying reasons behind unfavorable customer experiences.
When customers identify flaws that evade early inspections, this system examines their input and examines fulfillment center photos to determine what went wrong. For instance, the system looks at the product labels in fulfillment center photos to identify the mistake if a consumer receives the wrong size of a product.
The selling partners of Amazon, particularly the small and medium-sized enterprises that account for more than 60% of Amazon’s sales, can also benefit from this technology. By facilitating easier access to defect data, Amazon assists these sellers in resolving problems promptly and minimizing errors in the future.
