A viral YouTube video has reraised questions about whether Coca-Cola Freestyle machines have cameras, prompting BGR to revisit persistent rumors that the smart fountains use artificial intelligence-powered surveillance technology.
What's happening?
Claims that Coca-Cola Freestyle machines have cameras aren't new — a user on Reddit's r/MildlyInteresting said they did in April 2019.
In 2024, similar rumors circulated, leading Fortune to ask the global beverage purveyor whether the ubiquitous smart soda fountains were recording users.
"Camera capabilities were included in earlier designs and tested in a laboratory setting in 2018 and 2019. The company has no plans to use cameras in the future," said Scott Leith, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola.
The rumor came roaring back after YouTuber fern (@fern-tv) examined the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine's purported data collection functionality in January.
In that video, the user circled back to a detail in Fortune's 2024 coverage: "an AI company called Quantiphi" had recently published a "case study" about facial recognition that was "related to the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine."
Quantiphi's case study reportedly indicated that an "image is captured for every customer interacting with the machine."
According to the YouTuber, the case study "seemingly vanished" after Fortune approached Coca-Cola with questions in 2024.
Why is this concerning?
It's not surprising that rumors about Coca-Cola Freestyle machines and AI surveillance have emerged again this year.
Fern's video debuted Jan. 20 and has since been watched more than 3 million times — and just over two weeks later, Super Bowl viewers were horrified by a viral Ring camera ad hawking AI-powered facial recognition surveillance tech.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 While the commercial was framed as a heartwarming treatise on lost pets, backlash was swift. Amazon hastily cut ties with partner Flock Safety, a company whose surveillance technology has led to false arrests.
AI-powered surveillance isn't the only reason Americans are beginning to distrust corporations' use of the technology; AI integration has caused immense societal friction on several levels.
Data centers have become emblematic of the tension between corporate America and everyday people, in no small part because these resource-hungry facilities have been identified as a primary driver of skyrocketing electricity bills nationwide.
The resurgence of frustration over the notion that Coca-Cola Freestyle machines use AI to spy on the public was likely part of a growing backlash against both technologies.
What's being done about it?
Officially, the company maintains that Coca-Cola Freestyle machine cameras haven't been collecting data.
More broadly, American communities have organized to protest the construction of data centers, blocking nearly $100 billion in data center development.
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