A-eye turns a smartphone into an intelligent shopping assistant, allowing users to scan their surroundings through their smartphone cameras
Aimed at empowering retail experience for the visually impaired, Britannia Industries, in partnership with WPP, has introduced Britannia A-eye. Powered by Google Gemini and based on Vertex AI Multimodal Live, A-eye turns a smartphone into an intelligent shopping assistant, allowing users to scan their surroundings through their smartphone cameras.
Britannia Industries has introduced the pilot leveraging Google Astra’s capabilities, in partnership with More Retail and Mithra Jyoti, a non-governmental organisation (NGO). The AI reads the environment, providing voice-based responses to guide shoppers through store aisles, which are customised to each retail store.
“Britannia A-eye is a testament to how innovation can revolutionize inclusivity in retail. This initiative is not just about leveraging cutting-edge technology, it is about fostering equity and independence for all consumers,” stated Siddharth Gupta, General Manager – Marketing, Britannia Industries.
The company stated that the solution identifies products and access details such as pricing, ingredients, nutrition information and expiry dates and currently, this solution is enabled for Britannia products. This innovation removes barriers to information, omitting the dependency on external assistance, the statement added.
Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer, WPP, stated, “Our partnership with Google is about pushing the boundaries of AI-driven innovation. With Britannia A-eye, we’re not just creating technology, we are redefining inclusivity in retail, proving that AI can be a force for good, transforming lives and empowering communities.”
“Retail should be accessible to all, and Britannia A-eye is a bold step towards making that vision a reality. This initiative ensures that visually impaired shoppers can navigate stores and make informed decisions independently. We are proud to be part of a movement that is setting new standards in inclusive retail,” highlighted Vidhyashankar Jayaraman, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer, More Retail.
This initiative uses the latest multimodal AI capabilities of Google Cloud to enable navigation, real-time product identification and instant access to key product information, empowering consumers to shop independently, as per the official statement
