American Rounds, a Texas-based company, has installed ammo-vending machines with facial recognition technology for age verification, providing 24/7 access to ammunition at various stores in Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, and soon Colorado, catering to the hunting community.
The vending machines use AI, facial recognition, ID verification, and card scanning to confirm buyers are over 18 (or 21 in some cases) before dispensing ammunition, aiming to prevent theft and illegal sales to minors. The company received over 200 store requests from nine U.S. states.
While approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the legality of the vending machines has been questioned, leading to the removal of a machine in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, following a city council meeting.
Cybersecurity experts warn about potential vulnerabilities, hacking, exploitation of facial recognition software, and bugs leading to incorrect results or denying legitimate transactions.
American Rounds has not disclosed the facial recognition software provider used or made its privacy terms publicly available.
The company plans to expand the vending machines to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, and other locations across the South and Southeast United States next year, targeting hunting communities.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Business Insider, Futurism, Newsmax, New York Post, Breitbart, Gizmodo, Washington Examiner, The Times Hub, Spot on Alabama, Cowboy State Daily, Biometric Update, Quartz, Supermarket News.