Stop and Shop now has big, goofy-looking robots patrolling its aisles

But Marty’s introduction to supermarket floors has raised a number of questions about automation and surveillance for employees and customers alike—especially because the robot roll-out roughly coincided with a widespread Stop & Shop labor strike this spring to protest unfavorable changes to union contracts. Although Jennifer Brogan, Stop & Shop’s director of external communications, assured New Food Economy that the robot is not meant to replace workers, Ahold Delieze has explicitly told shareholders that the company is investing in automation and artificial intelligence to supplement or even replace human labor. Charise Thomson, a Stop & Shop customer who first encountered Marty at a store in Dorchester, Mass., said the robot appeared without any advance notification.

Source: newfoodeconomy.org