Sainsbury’s store suspends AI facial recognition scanning after customer wrongly flagged as shoplifter

Sainsbury’s has insisted the incident was a result of ‘human error’ and not due to the AI technology

Supermarket chain says ‘human error’, not its Facewatch technology, to blame for ejecting a customer Sainsbury’s has paused the use of AI face scanning in one of its stores after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and ejected from the shop. “I was embarrassed, mortified even, and felt quite humiliated an

Sainsbury's has halted its use of live facial recognition technology at one of its branches after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and asked to leave.

‘What upset me was thinking this is what the future could be’ - Matt Arnold, who was wrongly identified as a shoplifter

Sainsbury's suspends use of live facial recognition after shopper wrongly accused of shoplifting  GB News

Sainsbury’s suspends live facial recognition after customer wrongly accused of being a shoplifter Milo Pope | Live News reporter Published August 17, 2026 9:26am Updated August 17, 2026 9:26am A Sainsbury’s customer was stopped by two staff members for a ‘previous incident’ (Picture: Getty Images) Sainsbury’s has suspe

The facial technology has been deployed by the Met in six previous Premier League matches, including both north London derbies last season.