Spying on moviegoers can now be added to the various uses of artificial intelligence. According to the Daily Mail, the British cinema chain Vue uses AI to track viewers' habits. This is intended to help increase ticket sales.
Viewers who went to one of the 93 Vue cinemas scattered around the weekend England and Ireland to the screening of “Gladiator 2”, they were certainly screened by artificial intelligence in terms of their favorite snacks and the seats they took in the cinema hall. The data was added to previous weeks' observations to provide a comprehensive understanding of moviegoing habits. This helps in planning the best screening times and selecting specific cinemas to show a given production. As a result, this will result in an increase in ticket sales and additional profits for the network.
It may not bring any profits to viewers, but – according to experts – this should not worry them. – This type of data has been collected for years. The results do not need specific data about the identity of viewers. They are used to better plan screenings, select specific films to show, or find out the number of employees and snacks needed to prepare, explains James Bore, a cybersecurity expert, in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Polish films for the Polish community
Vue's CEO, Tim Richards, previously explained to Deadline that his company uses pioneering technological achievements. – AI is responsible for increasing ticket sales by determining what exactly we should play, in which cinemas and what showtimes are the best. As befits AI, this technology is constantly learning and evolving, he said.
The Daily Mail provides specific examples of the use of such technology. “If a particular cinema sells more tickets for children on a Saturday afternoon, the AI learns that it is a place popular with families. And if another location sells more tickets for Polish films, the AI already knows that there is one nearby there is a large Polish community and more Polish films should be brought there,” we read. Thanks to AI, the cinema chain also knows which cinemas should prepare more popcorn and which ones should focus more on sweets.
It is unclear whether cinemas use other means to augment the data provided to AI, such as cameras placed throughout the cinema.
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