A new AI tool is able to authenticate designer shoes based solely on their smell.
Counterfeit products have plagued designer brands for decades. With technology becoming more advanced it’s becoming clearer that luxury companies must find a new way to identify the real deal from a knockoff.
Enter AI.
Osmo, the company that hit headlines for its claims of scent teleportation, is using AI to smell the difference between fake and real products.
The technology has wide reaching potential. By leveraging AI to analyze the unique scent profiles of authentic luxury items, Osmo's solution offers a powerful tool to combat counterfeiting. A tool resellers and designer brands can use to protect their investments and ensure consumer trust.
95% Authentication Accuracy
Previously, authentication companies have used human smell testers as part of testing process, but this was not an exact science. Human senses are subjective and prone to error, making it difficult to establish a reliable and consistent method for authenticating products based on scent alone.
Osmo, on the other hand, have reported 95% accuracy rate in their pilot study carried out with in undisclosed major shoe resale company. The pilot study assessed two styles of Nike shoes, with 10 authentic versions and 10 counterfeit versions making up the data points.
However, there are limits to the new technology. Osmo, like any AI, must be trained with massive amounts of data. If this is not available, for example if there was a very limited number of a particular product made, the AI is unable to identify counterfeits.
The technology will also be expensive to replicate at scale. Osmo’s vision is fo authentic reselling companies to buy their own sensors, but these must be maintained and re-calibrated. The company must also spend time training the AI with data.
Osmo also envisions designer brands integrating odorless molecules to their authentic products, adding an undeniable verification layer to their items. This innovative approach could further enhance the reliability and security of authentication processes, making it even more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate genuine products. By combining AI-powered scent analysis with unique molecular signatures, brands can create a robust and future-proof system to protect their intellectual property and safeguard consumer interests.
