Dublin-based Johnston Retail Services has partnered with SafetyTech firm Privately to bring its AgeAI app to Ireland.
The app, which can accurately estimate someone’s age, is now available to retailers across the country to allow for automated and highly accurate facial age estimation in stores.
It is expected that the GDPR-certified app will remove guesswork from age checks for customers trying to buy vapes, helping retailers to avoid fines.
The technology is already used in hundreds of stores in England, and Johnson Retail Services is the first to bring it to Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Johnston Retail Services works with a majority of nationwide Irish retailers including Applegreen, Centra, SuperValu, An Post and Dunnes Stores.
More than a third of young people in Ireland aged 13-16 vape, and almost a quarter of 10 to 12-year-olds said they have tried vaping, according to a 2023 study.
“Underage vaping is a problem in Ireland, and there’s a pressing requirement to prevent …