AI-powered tech is being used to scour the internet to find and flag illegal vapes and the online retailers selling them.
Named AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Vape Assessment), the technology has been developed by non-profit trade association Our Vape Advocacy and is already at work on a “mission to eradicate illicit vape products”.
AIVA “understands the marketing practices of vape retailers and so looks at each page and ad with an almost human-like scrutiny” its developer and Our Vape Advocacy general manager James Van Aalst told The Grocer.
“She can cross-reference the product images with what is in the listing and check the ad against the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency database of approved products,” he added. “She can also identify devices which are often mis-advertised and ones that have cartoon-like imagery or those resembling food products like ice creams, drinks or sweets.”
AIVA is currently in initial testing but has already identified 500 illegal products sold by around 100 rogue sellers.
The tool, which “searches as a human would, using sites like Google and other search engines” produces reports of the illicit products and the reasons they are non-compliant.
This information is then manually checked to ensure no mistakes have been made and “with one click this information is sent to parties involved who have a duty to act on the information”. Our Vape Advocacy is also alerting the payment processing firms powering the rogue seller websites, with Worldpay and Viva Wallet having already been notified of around 50 sites selling illicit products.
AIVA is currently being offered as a free tool to assist Trading Standards “by actioning these violations directly” but the group is urging the transaction monitoring teams of card terminal providers to work with Our Vape Advocacy to avoid penalties.
The trade association said AIVA marked “a significant milestone in our commitment to safeguarding public health and ensuring the legal sale of vape products”.
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