The human race is evolving tenfold with regard to technological advancements. If you see the world as a whole, you may not realize the magnitude of those advancements per se. When we tell you, our jaws would have dropped down to the floor if you would have told us 15 years ago that we would experience an image recognition system that allows entry only when we smile! With the breakthrough of AI, Brands are venturing into plethora of tech opportunities to maximise their outputs. We at Apric use an integrated methodology with a prime focus on infusing innovation with technology and intelligence to enhance performance just like Canon does.
Canon, the Renowned brand that we all love and adore, has installed AI-enabled cameras in its office in China that only grants entry to its smiling employees. Some would say it’s a rather bogus concept but we do not like to condone ideas before we dig deep into them! We know they are known for integrating lots of effort and innovation into their products. According to Canon, this is their way of boosting employee productivity and morale, which we do feel is a heartfelt gesture! It is said that “To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace”. Blending creativity with technology is essential for any brand to partake in providing futuristic solutions. Does that ring a bell?
Brace yourself for a quick Storytime! So apart from Technology, Creativity, and Design, Our team at Apric enjoy traveling as well. Roughly 2 years ago, I was departing from Dubai Airport and was stunned to see the kind of technology wherein there was no need for a manual verification check, everything pertaining to identities and information was done through AI-enabled cameras. The accuracy and speed were on point which really made us delve into the amazing yet bizarre world of AI. You may wonder, well if you saw this 2 years ago then this is not a new concept. What’s with the hype around it? We get it! What is exclusive to Canon is that entry is only permissible to smiling faces. :-)
As we all know, it takes a lot to fool AI. So, an employee faking a smile may not necessarily qualify to enter. Apparently, Canon believes that this would create a cordial, happy and jovial environment in the workplace. Their mantra is “You need to be internally happy to work productively!”. As an employee centric company, we at Apric realize the need for our employees to be fulfilled and happy at the end of the day but would we implement a similar technology for our employees? Well, that is questionable. We feel there are many other parameters to monitor employee satisfaction and happiness. You can have ice breaker sessions, group building activities and frequent anonymous surveys to ensure everyone is internally happy. The question here is : Did Canon really have to go the extra mile by compromising the privacy of its employees even though the intention projects otherwise?
With Canon’s history in context to the kind of control it has on the workplace like data to detect productivity issues, CCTV cameras to detect how much time people spend during their breaks, monitoring employees, etc has received a lot of backlash. Although Canon China does defend the technology claiming it to be only for reasons pertaining to employee happiness and creating a jovial environment, a lot of people are against this technology as they consider it as a breach of privacy rather than a helpful tool for employee productivity.
Looking at the pros and cons, We are thrilled to see how Canon will promote this in international markets where privacy protection is a major component in workplaces. Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, do you think it’s a breach of privacy or is it a great innovation? We would love to know your opinions!
