STORY: A Japanese restaurant chain has been using an artificial intelligence camera system to detect unhygienic pranks since the beginning of the month. Recently, videos in Japan caused a stir – and disgust, in which, for example, plates or soy sauce bottles were licked. The consequences went so far that a chain of restaurants that churned out sushi ran into financial difficulties. According to “Kura Sushi”, cameras had already been installed in all restaurants in 2021 to automatically count the amount of food taken from the belt. In response to the recent pranks, the camera system has now been upgraded with a new AI feature to detect suspicious behavior, such as when a tray is first removed from the belt and then placed back on it. As soon as unusual behavior is detected, the system sends an alarm to the central office. A team there then looks at the recorded video and contacts the restaurant staff if necessary. Last week, the police announced that they had arrested a 21-year-old and two teenagers. According to police reports, a soy sauce bottle had been mouth-touched, and two youths had helped film and publish the video.