AgeAI app launches in Ireland to curb underage vaping

The AgeAI app, known for estimating an individual's age with almost complete accuracy, is now accessible to retailers throughout Ireland.

Dublin's Johnston Retail Services has collaborated with SafetyTech company Privately to introduce the AgeAI app to the Irish market. The app, designed for automatic and precise facial age estimation, aims to assist in preventing illicit sales of vapes to minors while ensuring compliance with age-related regulations. The AgeAI app claims 100% anonymity, with certifications for GDPR compliance, and is intended to support retail staff by reducing conflicts arising from age verification requests.

In a 2023 study, it was found that over one-third of young Irish people aged 13 to 16 engage in vaping, and nearly a quarter of children aged 10 to 12 have tried vaping. Addressing this issue, Deepak Tewari, Chief Executive Officer of Privately, stated, "Underage vaping is a problem in Ireland, and there's a pressing requirement to prevent sales to minors. But store owners and managers need help, and our partnership with Johnston Retail Services delivers that, with an automated, accurate and speedy solution that allows staff to avoid the confrontation that comes from requests for ID and turning people away."

Johnston Retail Services collaborates with major Irish retail entities including Applegreen, Centra, SuperValu, An Post, and Dunnes Stores. This partnership enables the deployment of solutions aimed at improving revenue and customer satisfaction while solidifying the structural efficiency of retailers.

The collaboration with Privately will result in the integration of the AgeAI app in Irish retail environments. The app, which requires minimal setup, aims to ease customer interactions by simply requiring individuals to look at a screen that swiftly assesses whether they appear over a predefined age threshold. A positive assessment allows the transaction to proceed, while a negative prompts an ID check.

According to Brian Hurley, Commercial Director at Johnston Retail Services, "Ensuring your operation has a technology focus is now more important than ever. Those who adopt and embrace the technological solutions available tend to reap more success with much less effort than one may think." He further added, "Enforcement of age-restricted selling is no doubt going to become more and more prevalent. AgeAI is extremely simple, affordable and an indispensable tool that we are excited to be able to offer our customers to help with this legal selling requirement."

The AgeAI technology has already seen deployment in numerous independent vape outlets across the UK, facilitated by Privately's alliance with Our Vape Advocacy, a retail trade association. This development in Ireland is considered a significant step in tackling the issue of underage vaping sales.

Privately, a startup focused on SafetyTech, has extended its range of child safety apps to protect over 100,000 children across the UK and internationally. Over the past year, the company has conducted nearly one million age verification transactions in retail settings.