Novel AI Technology Literally Sniffs Out Counterfeit Sneakers

The proliferating circulation of counterfeit goods has been a top concern for luxury and mass-market market brands alike for decades, and as the second-hand market continues to flourish, the concern has only grown. Counterfeit manufacturers have continued to sharpen their ability to mimic authentic goods, making it even more difficult to identify fakes. However, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are opening new avenues to facilitate smooth and accurate authentication processes.

Osmo is one of many tech start-ups aimed at uncovering advanced methods of counterfeit detection, but it’s unique in its approach, which uses AI-enabled sensors to identify specific scent profiles that can be matched to genuine sneakers.

Unlike most soft goods and clothing, shoes are made with a variety of chemically treated materials, adhesives and other components that give off identifiable scents.

Human authenticators have already been sniffing sneakers to spot fakes for years along with eyeing physical characteristics. However, there are certain molecular nuances that the human nose simply can’t decipher.

That is where Osmo’s AI sensors come in. According to Business of Fashion, the start-up worked with an unnamed, but well-known secondhand sneaker vendor to run its pilot experiments. Analyzing two Nike silhouettes by comparing 10 real sneakers and 10 fakes, Osmo’s sensors performed with more than 95% accuracy.

First, the system requires numerous quantities of the original product to train its model on the genuine scent profile. Then, sneakers can either be held up to the sensor or a sensor can be fit through the shoebox to perform its analysis.

Though the results are impressive, the technology requires substantial control samples of the genuine product in order to accurately sniff out counterfeit products. So, the method may not be the most effective for ultra-rare sneakers with only a handful of samples available.

However, Osmo mentioned to Business of Fashion that it has the technology to create custom scent molecules for brands that can be applied to genuine products in the production phase to work around this issue.

In the meantime, the novel technology is still a valuable aid for authentication, in conjunction with human judgment based on visual markers and even the traditional nose sniff test. If Osmo can deliver on its hefty promise, one can imagine that in the near-future, even the most discreet fakes will no longer be able to fly under the radar.