4 Jul 2023

AI-powered billboards targeting shoppers in malls

From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am on 4 July 2023
The Base shopping centre in Hamilton

Photo: Supplied

The consumer watchdog is warning about AI-powered digital billboards now in use in shopping malls, and the lack of disclosure about the data they're using.

Consumer NZ says the billboards, called "SmartScreens", film shoppers, analyse their biometric data, and then serve up targeted advertisements in real time, based on a person's age, gender and even mood. 

These billboards are already in use in Westfield shopping centres in Auckland and Christchurch.

But Consumer chief executive Jon Duffy says customers may not be sufficiently aware of the data being collected about them, and how that data is being used.