I saw the future last week, and I’m not sure I liked it.

On a flying visit to London’s ExCel Centre for a conference last week, I needed some bits and pieces. And there, sure enough, was a “corner shop” or equivalent. Obviously, being central (ish) London, it was expensive, but that’s not the shocking bit.

It was run by Amazon. And you had to beep your contactless card/phone/ watch to enter.

Once you were inside, there were no human beings and lots of signs saying “just walk out”.

And so, somewhat hesitantly, I picked up what I wanted, and I just walked out.

And sure enough, my card was duly charged the right amount.

For some reason, I’m not sure this sat well with me. The idea that the CCTV and the AI consuming it were smart enough to work out which items I’d taken off the shelf is a bit creepy (subsequent discussion suggests that they also use weight sensors on the shelves).

Still, what works in central London today will be in the Thames Valley in a couple of years and all over the UK in the next decade. Fun times ahead…