Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and terminal device

Abstract

To enhance convenience of promotions utilizing generative AI for customers using mobile terminals.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment comprises a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a first generation unit, a second generation unit, and an output control unit. The first acquisition unit acquires customer information related to a customer who enters a facility. The second acquisition unit acquires position information representing a position of the customer in the facility. The first generation unit generates first text information including the customer information and the position information. The second generation unit, by inputting the first text information into generative AI which generates a text related to a product handled in the facility in response to the input of the first text information, generates, based on a generative text generated by the generative AI, second text information for a promotion of the product described in the generative text. The output control unit outputs the second text information to a terminal device used by the customer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) that generates text, images, etc. has been attracting attention. The accuracy of generative AI is improving every day, and promotions using generative AI that generates text are also being carried out. For example, one such promotion is introducing products that match customer inquiries made via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

[0003] However, promotional services using generative AI such as those described above are generally provided via the cloud, which means that if you handle information that you do not want to output on the cloud, such as customer personal information, you may not be able to use the service.

[0004] In addition, the AI ​​used in the cloud-based promotion service is not optimized for the store, which means that it may select products that are not available in the store, or products of the same type that are different from the products the store wants to promote. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, and a terminal device that can improve the convenience of promotions that apply generation AI. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to an embodiment includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a first generation unit, a second generation unit, and an output control unit. The first acquisition unit acquires customer information about customers who have entered a facility. The second acquisition unit acquires location information indicating the customer's location within the facility. The first generation unit generates first text information including the customer information and the location information. The second generation unit inputs the first text information to a generation AI that generates text about products sold at the facility in response to the input of the first text information, and generates second text information for promoting the products described in the generated text based on the generated text generated by the generation AI. The output control unit outputs the second text information to a terminal device used by the customer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an example of the connection relationships of devices in an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the SC according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a promotion text DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the SC according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the SC according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An information processing device, an information processing system, and a terminal device according to the embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the embodiments described below, a store computer (SC) installed in a store (an example of a facility) such as a department store or supermarket will be described as an example of an information processing device, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0009] 1 is a system diagram showing an example of the connection relationships of devices in an information processing system S according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, the system includes a plurality of mobile terminals 1, an SC (Store Computer) 2, and a beacon (transmitter) 3.

[0010] A plurality of mobile terminals 1 are connected to SC2 via an access point 3, which is a repeater for wireless communication, and a communication line 5, such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In addition, SC2, access point 3, and beacon 4 are connected to each other via the communication line 5.

[0011] 1 is an example, and the number of devices included in the information processing system S is not limited to the number shown in Fig. 1. For example, the information processing system S may include a plurality of access points 3.

[0012] The mobile terminal 1 is a device carried by a customer and exchanges various information with the SC2. The mobile terminal 1 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. For example, the mobile terminal 1 transmits a promotion request to the SC2, requesting that the SC2 generate a promotion text.

[0013] Furthermore, for example, the mobile terminal 1 receives radio waves from a plurality of beacons 4 (for example, radio wave transmitters such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi) installed in the store. From the radio wave reception results, the mobile terminal 1 acquires location information indicating the customer's location within the store.

[0014] SC2 generates promotional text for customers. For example, SC2 is a server device. SC2 may also perform processes such as collecting and managing product sales registration information received from a POS terminal (not shown). SC2 may be configured as a single server device or multiple server devices.

[0015] For example, the SC2 transmits the generated promotion text to the mobile terminal 1. Also, for example, the SC2 receives a promotion request from the mobile terminal 1.

[0016] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the SC 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the SC 2.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, SC2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that serves as the control unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 that stores various programs, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 that expands various data, and a memory unit 14 that stores various programs.

[0018] The CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, and memory unit 14 are connected to one another via a data bus 15. The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 constitute a control unit 100. That is, the control unit 100 executes various processes by the CPU 11 operating in accordance with a control program 141 stored in the ROM 12 or memory unit 14 and loaded into the RAM 13. The various processes will be described later.

[0019] The RAM 13 develops various programs including the control program 141, and also temporarily stores images captured by the camera 4 until they are stored in the memory unit .

[0020] The memory unit 14 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores programs including a control program 141 and the like.

[0021] In addition, an operation unit 17 , a display unit 18 and a camera 61 are connected to the data bus 15 via a controller 16 .

[0022] The operation unit 17 receives various inputs from the customer. For example, the operation unit 17 is realized by a touch panel.

[0023] The display unit 18 displays various information. For example, the display unit 18 displays promotional text received from the SC2 in the form of a pop-up or the like.

[0024] Camera 61 is a device that captures an image of a customer's face. Camera 61 includes a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). In this embodiment, camera 61 is provided on the surface of mobile terminal 1 on the side where display unit 18 is provided.

[0025] For example, when a user launches an application (hereinafter simply referred to as the application) on the mobile terminal 1 to receive a product promotion service, the camera 61 captures an image of the face of a customer looking at the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1 in the background.

[0026] The data bus 15 is also connected to a communication I / F 19 such as a LAN I / F (Interface). The communication I / F 19 is connected to a communication line 5.

[0027] The communication I / F 19 transmits and receives various types of information to and from other devices.

[0028] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the SC 2. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the SC 2.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the SC2 includes a CPU 21 that serves as a control unit, a ROM 22 that stores various programs, a RAM 23 that expands various data, and a memory unit 24 that stores various programs.

[0030] The CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, and memory unit 24 are connected to one another via a data bus 25. The CPU 21, ROM 22, and RAM 23 constitute a control unit 200. That is, the control unit 200 executes various processes by the CPU 21 operating in accordance with a control program 241 stored in the ROM 22 or memory unit 24 and loaded into the RAM 23. The various processes will be described later.

[0031] The RAM 23 develops various programs including a control program 241 .

[0032] The memory unit 24 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores programs including a control program 241. The memory unit 24 also has a promotional LLM 242, a personal information DB 243, a nearby product DB 244, and a promotional text DB 245.

[0033] The promotion LLM 242 is a generation AI that generates text, such as a large language model (LLM). The promotion LLM 242 generates product text related to products recommended for purchase to customers. In this embodiment, an LLM is used as the generation AI, but the generation AI is not limited to an LLM as long as it can generate text.

[0034] For example, the product text is text data that describes the names of products available in the store and the promotion details for those products. Note that the product text may also be text data in a list format that includes the names of multiple products and the promotion details for each of the multiple products.

[0035] For example, the promotion LLM 242 is an LLM constructed using known deep learning technology that, in response to input of text specifying conditions, outputs text related to a product based on the conditions. Here, the conditions may be, for example, reference conditions that serve as reference conditions for deriving the output results or constraint conditions for narrowing down the output results.

[0036] In this embodiment, the promotion LLM 242 generates product text corresponding to a customer in response to an input of a query text that includes, as conditions, content related to customer information, such as customer location information and attribute information indicating the customer's attributes. The customer location information and customer information will be described later.

[0037] The personal information DB (Data Base) 243 manages personal information of customers. For example, the personal information includes customer information such as the customer's address, name, age, sex, physical characteristics (e.g., height, weight, etc.), customer ID, telephone number, email address, facial image, information on registered mobile devices, and product purchase history at stores.

[0038] As an example, personal information DB243 is a database that stores, for each customer, the customer's address, name, age, gender, build, customer ID, telephone number, email address, facial image, identification information of the registered mobile device (terminal ID), and product purchase history at the store, all in association with each other.

[0039] The nearby product DB244 is a database that defines products located near each location within the store. As an example, the nearby product DB244 is a database that stores, for each piece of location information within the store, information that indicates an area within the store and product information in association with each other. For example, the information that indicates an area within the store is information that indicates the attribute of the area within the store to which the location information within the store, such as the men's clothing department, women's clothing department, or children's clothing department, belongs.

[0040] It should be noted that a plurality of pieces of product information may be associated with one piece of location information, and the same piece of product information may be associated with different pieces of location information.

[0041] The promotion text DB 245 is a database that stores promotion text for promoting products.

[0042] As an example, promotional text DB 245 stores promotional text in association with the semantic vector of the promotional text. Promotional text DB 245 is used in a process of generating promotional text to be output to mobile terminal 1 (hereinafter also referred to as output promotional text). The process of generating output promotional text using promotional text DB 245 will be described later.

[0043] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of promotional text DB 245. As shown in Fig. 4, promotional text DB 245 stores promotional text and semantic vectors in association with each other.

[0044] In the first line of Figure 4, the promotional text "How about treating yourself to some raw chocolate? xxx is from Belgium..." is associated with the semantic vector "[0.0345896,-0.128949,0.5892304,...]".

[0045] Here, "xxx" in the promotion text above is the text that represents the name of the product. In other words, the promotion text in the first line of Figure 4 is promotion text for the product "xxx", and its semantic vector is "[0.0345896,-0.128949,0.5892304,...]".

[0046] Also, in the second line of Figure 4, the promotional text "yyy uses plenty of fragrant La France pears from Nagano..." is associated with the semantic vector "[0.590402,0.1905002,-0.84731245,...]".

[0047] Here, "yyy" in the promotion text above is the text that represents the name of the product. In other words, the promotion text in the second line of Figure 4 is promotion text for the product "yyy", and its semantic vector is "[0.0345896,-0.128949,0.5892304,...]".

[0048] 3, an operation unit 27 and a display unit are connected to the data bus 25 via a controller .

[0049] The operation unit 27 receives various inputs from an operator such as a store clerk, etc. For example, the operation unit 27 includes a numeric keypad for entering numbers, various function keys, and the like.

[0050] The display unit 28 displays various types of information.

[0051] The data bus 25 is also connected to a communication I / F 29 such as a LAN I / F. The communication I / F 29 is connected to a communication line 5.

[0052] The communication I / F 29 transmits and receives various types of information.

[0053] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the information processing system S. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system S.

[0054] First, we will explain the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 1. The control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1 functions as a facial image acquisition unit 101, a facial image transmission unit 102, a customer information reception unit 103, a location information acquisition unit 104, a request unit 105, a promotional text reception unit 106, and a display control unit 107 by following various programs including a control program 141 stored in the ROM 12 and the memory unit 14.

[0055] The face image acquisition unit 101 acquires image data including a face image of a customer. The image data including the face image of the customer is used to identify customer information about the customer who will receive a product promotion service.

[0056] For example, when a customer starts an application, the facial image acquisition unit 101 puts the camera 61 into a state where it can capture an image. The facial image acquisition unit 101 controls the camera 61 to capture an image of the face of a customer who is operating the application while looking at the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1 in the background.

[0057] Furthermore, the face image acquisition unit 101 analyzes the captured image using known image recognition technology, etc., and when it determines that an image including the entire face of a person has been captured, it stops the activation of the camera 61. This makes it possible to reduce battery consumption of the mobile terminal 1.

[0058] The facial image acquisition unit 101 may cause the customer to take a facial image with the camera 61 by displaying a message on the display unit 18 prompting the customer to take a facial image of himself or herself.

[0059] The facial image transmitting unit 102 transmits image data including the facial image of the customer to the SC 2. For example, the facial image transmitting unit 102 transmits image data including the facial image of the customer acquired by the facial image acquiring unit 101 to the SC 2 via the communication I / F 19, the access point 3, and the communication line 5.

[0060] The customer information receiving unit 103 receives customer information from the SC 2. For example, the customer information receiving unit 103 receives, from the SC 2, customer information of a customer identified based on image data including a face image of the customer and the personal information DB 243 via the communication I / F 19, the access point 3, and the communication line 5.

[0061] The location information acquisition unit 104 acquires customer location information that indicates the location of the customer within the store. For example, the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires customer location information in real time based on the reception result of radio waves transmitted from the beacon 4.

[0062] Specifically, the location information acquisition unit 104 identifies the location of its own device (mobile terminal 1) within the store from information indicating the strength of radio waves received from which beacon 4 within the store, which information is included in the reception result of radio waves transmitted from the beacon 4. Then, the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires the information indicating the identified location of its own device as the customer's location information.

[0063] The process of acquiring the customer's location information may be performed by the SC 2. In this case, the mobile terminal 1 transmits to the SC 2 the reception result of the radio wave transmitted from the beacon 4 and a device ID that identifies the mobile terminal 1, in association with each other.

[0064] Using the same process as described above, SC2 identifies the location of the mobile terminal 1 identified by the device ID associated with the radio wave reception result sent from the mobile terminal 1, and obtains information representing the identified location of the mobile terminal 1 as location information of the customer using the mobile terminal 1.

[0065] The request unit 105 transmits a promotion request requesting that a promotion text be generated to the SC2. For example, the request unit 105 transmits a promotion request to the SC2 that includes the customer information of the customer received by the customer information receiving unit 103 and the location information of the customer identified by the location information acquiring unit 104.

[0066] Furthermore, the request unit 105 determines whether the customer has moved to a different area within the store based on the customer's location information.

[0067] For example, the request unit 105 refers to the nearby product DB 244 and identifies the area within the store that corresponds to the customer's location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 104. The request unit 105 compares the identified area within the store with the area that corresponds to the customer's location information previously acquired, and if the two differ, determines that the customer has moved to a different area within the store.

[0068] When it is determined that the customer has moved to a different area within the store, the request unit 105 performs processing to transmit the above-mentioned promotion request to the SC2.

[0069] The promotion text receiver 106 receives promotion text from SC2, for example, the promotion text receiver 106 receives output promotion text sent from SC2 in response to a promotion request.

[0070] The display control unit 107 controls the display of various information on the display device. The display control unit 107 is an example of an output control unit. For example, the display control unit 107 controls the pop-up display of the output promotion text received from SC2 on the display unit 18.

[0071] Next, we will explain the functional configuration of SC2. Control unit 200 of SC2 functions as a facial image receiving unit 201, a customer information identifying unit 202, a customer information transmitting unit 203, an inquiry text generating unit 204, a product text generating unit 205, a promotion text generating unit 206, and a promotion text transmitting unit 207 by following various programs including a control program 241 stored in ROM 22 and memory unit 24.

[0072] The facial image receiving unit 201 receives image data including a facial image of a customer. For example, the facial image receiving unit 201 receives image data including a facial image of a customer transmitted from the mobile terminal 1 via the communication line 5.

[0073] The customer information identification unit 202 identifies customer information of a customer. The customer information identification unit 202 is an example of a first acquisition unit. For example, the customer information is attribute information related to the customer's attributes, information about the customer such as the customer's product purchase history at the store, etc. Furthermore, for example, the attribute information is information indicating the customer's attributes such as the customer's place of residence (address), age, gender, and physique.

[0074] For example, the customer information identification unit 202 uses a known image recognition technique to extract a customer's facial image from image data including the customer's facial image received from the mobile terminal 1. The customer information identification unit 202 refers to the personal information DB 243 stored in the memory unit 24, and identifies the address, name, age, sex, build, customer ID, telephone number, email address, and product purchase history at the store corresponding to the extracted facial image as the customer information of the customer corresponding to the facial image.

[0075] The customer information transmitting unit 203 transmits the customer information of the customer to the mobile terminal 1. For example, the customer information transmitting unit 203 transmits the customer information of the customer identified by the customer information transmitting unit 203 to the mobile terminal 1 via the communication line 5.

[0076] The query text generation unit 204 generates a query text based on the promotion request. The query text generation unit 204 is an example of a first generation unit. The query text is an example of first text information. The query text is instruction information (e.g., a prompt) that instructs the generation AI on the content of the text to be generated. Hereinafter, the content instructed by the instruction information will also be referred to as instruction content.

[0077] For example, the query text generation unit 204 instructs the promotion LLM 242 to generate text including the name of the product and the content of promoting the product, and generates a query text that describes the content indicating that the promoted product is a product sold in the store and that the promoted product is derived from conditions based on the customer information and location information of the customer.

[0078] Here, a template for generating a query text is stored in advance in the memory unit 24 or the like. Note that a plurality of templates may be stored in the memory unit 24 or the like. In this case, the query text generation unit 204 may use different templates depending on the situation. For example, the query text generation unit 204 may switch templates depending on keywords included in the query text (e.g., words that can identify the product genre (food, clothing, etc.)).

[0079] In addition, the inquiry text generation unit 204 adds text data based on the customer information and customer location information of the customer included in the promotion request received from the mobile terminal 1 to the inquiry text according to the conditions specified in the instruction content.

[0080] Specifically, the query text generation unit 204 adds text data including a description of the customer's location information, product information of products located near the customer, a description of the customer's attribute information, and a description of the customer's product purchase history to the query text as conditions.

[0081] As an example, the query text generation unit 204 adds text data describing the customer's location information, such as "near the underwear section," to the query text as a condition based on the customer's location information included in the promotion request.

[0082] Furthermore, the query text generation unit 204 refers to the nearby product DB 145 to identify product information corresponding to the customer's location information included in the promotion request. The query text generation unit 204 adds text data describing the name of the product included in the identified product information as product information of the product located near the customer to the query text as a condition.

[0083] In addition, the inquiry text generation unit 204 adds text data describing the customer's attribute information, such as "30 years old, female, slim," to the inquiry text as a condition based on the customer information included in the promotion request.

[0084] In addition, based on the customer information included in the promotion request, the query text generation unit 204 adds text data describing the customer's product purchase history, such as "Purchased a shirt with product code XX on △ month □ day," to the query text as a condition.

[0085] By including a description of the customer's product purchase history as a condition in the inquiry text and adding an instruction to the effect that products that have already been purchased will not be output, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a customer is recommended to purchase a product that the customer has already purchased.

[0086] In addition, by adding to the inquiry text an instruction to prioritize promotion of products that have not been purchased but are similar to the purchased product (products of the same brand, products of similar color, products with similar shape, etc.), it is possible to promote products that are thought to be closer to the customer's preferences.

[0087] The product text generation unit 205 generates product text based on the query text. The product text is an example of second text information. For example, the product text generation unit 205 inputs the query text generated by the query text generation unit 204 into the promotion LLM 242 stored in the memory unit 24. The product text generation unit 205 acquires the text data output from the promotion LLM 242 as the product text.

[0088] Note that part or all of the processing of the query text generation unit 204 described above may be executed by the product text generation unit 205. Also, part or all of the processing of the product text generation unit 205 may be executed by the query text generation unit 204.

[0089] As mentioned above, product text is text data generated using the promotional LLM 242, which is a generation AI. Therefore, the promotional LLM 242 generates different product text each time. In other words, even if text promoting the same product is generated, the content will be different each time.

[0090] Therefore, there is a possibility that the generated text may contain expressions that are difficult to understand or expressions that are inappropriate for a store promotion. For this reason, in this embodiment, the promotion text generation unit 206 (described later) performs processing to generate output promotion text based on the product text so that product promotions can be carried out using consistent, appropriate expressions.

[0091] The promotion text generator 206 will now be described. The promotion text generator 206 generates output promotion text based on the product text. The output promotion text is text data that has been converted from the product text into expressions suitable for in-store promotions.

[0092] For example, the promotional text generation unit 206 calculates the semantic vector of the product text generated by the product text generation unit 205 using known natural language processing techniques, etc. Next, the promotional text generation unit 206 refers to the promotional text DB 245 and identifies the promotional text corresponding to the semantic vector that is closest to the calculated semantic vector of the product text.

[0093] The promotional text generator 206 generates the identified promotional text as output promotional text.

[0094] The promotional text transmitter 207 transmits the promotional text to the mobile terminal 1. For example, the promotional text transmitter 207 transmits the output promotional text generated by the promotional text generator 206 to the mobile terminal 1.

[0095] Next, the processing executed by the information processing system S will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing executed by the information processing system S.

[0096] First, the facial image acquisition unit 101 of the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1 acquires a facial image of a customer (step ST1). For example, when the customer starts an application, the facial image acquisition unit 101 controls the camera 61 to capture a facial image of the customer, thereby acquiring image data including the facial image of the customer.

[0097] Next, the facial image transmitting unit 102 transmits the facial image to SC2 (step ST2). For example, the facial image transmitting unit 102 transmits image data including the facial image of the customer acquired in step ST1 to SC2 via the access point 3 and the communication line 5.

[0098] Next, the facial image receiving unit 201 of the control unit 200 of SC2 receives the facial image of the customer (step ST3). For example, the facial image receiving unit 201 receives the image data including the facial image of the customer transmitted from the mobile terminal 1 in step ST2 via the communication line 5.

[0099] Next, the customer information identification unit 202 identifies the customer information of the customer based on the facial image of the customer (step ST4). For example, the customer information identification unit 202 extracts the facial image of the customer from the image data received in step ST3. The customer information identification unit 202 refers to the personal information DB 243 and identifies a plurality of pieces of information associated with the extracted facial image of the customer as the customer information of the customer.

[0100] Next, the customer information transmission unit 203 transmits the customer information of the customer (step ST5). For example, the customer information transmission unit 203 transmits the customer information of the customer identified in step ST4 to the mobile terminal 1 via the communication line 5. After step ST5, the processing by the control unit 200 of SC2 proceeds to step ST10, which will be described later.

[0101] On the other hand, after step ST5, in the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1, the customer information receiving unit 103 receives the customer information (step ST6). For example, the customer information receiving unit 103 receives the customer information of the customer transmitted from SC2 in step ST5.

[0102] Next, the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires location information of the customer (step ST7). For example, the location information acquisition unit 104 identifies the location of the device within the store based on the reception results of radio waves transmitted from beacons 4 installed at multiple locations in the store. The location information acquisition unit 104 acquires information indicating the identified location of the device within the store as location information of the customer.

[0103] In FIG. 6, the process of acquiring customer location information is shown as step ST7, but the process of acquiring customer location information is assumed to be performed continuously.

[0104] Next, the request unit 105 determines whether the customer has moved to a different area based on the customer's location information (step ST8). For example, the request unit 105 determines whether the customer has moved to a different area by referring to the nearby product DB 244 and identifying the area in the store that corresponds to the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 104.

[0105] Specifically, the request unit 105 compares the identified area within the store with the area corresponding to the previously acquired customer location information, and if the two are different, determines that the customer has moved to a different area within the store. On the other hand, the request unit 105 compares the identified area within the store with the area corresponding to the previously acquired customer location information, and if the two are the same, determines that the customer has not moved to a different area within the store.

[0106] If the location information acquisition unit 104 acquires the customer's location information in step ST7 for the first time, the request unit 105 makes the above determination assuming that the customer has moved to a different area.

[0107] If the customer has not moved to a different area (step ST8: No), the process of the control unit of the mobile terminal 1 returns to the process of step ST7. On the other hand, if the customer has moved to a different area (step ST8: Yes), the request unit 105 transmits a promotion request (step ST9).

[0108] For example, the request unit 105 transmits to SC2 a promotion request including the customer information of the customer received in step ST6 and the (most recent) location information of the customer acquired in step ST7. After step ST9, the process by the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1 proceeds to step ST15, which will be described later.

[0109] On the other hand, after the above-mentioned step ST5, in the control unit 200 of SC2, the query text generation unit 204 determines whether or not a promotion request has been received from the mobile terminal 1 (step ST10). If a promotion request has not been received (step ST10: No), the process of step ST10 is repeated.

[0110] On the other hand, if a promotion request is received (step ST10: Yes), the query text generation unit 204 generates a query text (step ST11). For example, the query text generation unit 204 generates the query text based on the customer information and customer location information of the customer included in the promotion request received in step ST10.

[0111] Specifically, the query text generation unit 204 generates a query text that instructs the generation of text about products available at the store, with a description of the customer's attribute information, a description of the customer's product purchase history, and a description of the customer's location information added as conditions.

[0112] Next, the product text generation unit 205 generates product text (step S12). For example, the product text generation unit 205 inputs the inquiry text generated in step S11 into the promotion LLM 242 stored in the memory unit 24. The product text generation unit 205 acquires the text data output from the promotion LLM 242 as product text.

[0113] Next, the promotion text generation unit 206 generates a promotion text based on the product text (step ST13).

[0114] For example, the promotional text generation unit 206 calculates the semantic vector of the product text generated in step ST12. Then, the promotional text generation unit 206 refers to the promotional text DB 245 to identify the promotional text having the semantic vector most similar to the calculated semantic vector of the product text. The promotional text generation unit 206 generates the identified promotional text as the output promotional text.

[0115] Next, the promotional text transmission unit 207 transmits the promotional text (step ST14). For example, the promotional text generation unit 206 transmits the output promotional text generated in step ST13 to the mobile terminal 1. After step ST14, the process by the control unit 200 of SC2 proceeds to step ST19, which will be described later.

[0116] Meanwhile, after step ST9 described above, in control unit 100 of mobile terminal 1, promotion text receiving unit 106 receives the output promotion text (step ST15). For example, promotion text receiving unit 106 receives the output promotion text transmitted from SC2 in step ST14.

[0117] Next, the display control unit 107 displays the promotional text (step ST16). For example, the display control unit 107 controls the display unit 18 to display the output promotional text received in step ST15 in a pop-up display.

[0118] Next, the location information acquiring unit 104 determines whether an instruction to end the promotional service has been received from the customer (step ST17). For example, when an instruction to end the application has been received from the customer, the location information acquiring unit 104 determines that an instruction to end the promotional service has been received.

[0119] Note that the location information acquisition unit 104 may determine that an instruction to end the promotional service has been received when it detects that the customer has left the store.

[0120] If the end instruction has not been received (step ST17: No), the process by the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1 returns to the above-mentioned step ST7. On the other hand, if the end instruction has been received (step ST17: Yes), the control unit 100 of the mobile terminal 1 transmits a promotion service end notification to SC2 (step ST18), and ends this process.

[0121] On the other hand, after the above-mentioned step ST14, the control unit 200 of SC2 determines whether the query text generation unit 204 has received a promotional service termination notification from the mobile terminal 1 (step ST19). If the promotional service termination notification has not been received (step ST19: No), the process by the control unit 200 of SC2 returns to the above-mentioned step ST10.

[0122] On the other hand, if the promotion service end notification is received (step ST19: No), the control unit 200 of the SC2 ends this process.

[0123] As described above, the information processing system S of this embodiment acquires customer information about the customer including their characteristics, acquires location information indicating the customer's location within the facility, generates an inquiry text based on the customer information and location information of the customer, inputs the inquiry text to a generation AI that generates product text about products handled at the facility in response to the input of the inquiry text, generates promotional text based on the product text generated by the generation AI, and controls the display of the promotional text on the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1 used by the customer.

[0124] As a result, the information processing system S according to this embodiment can generate inquiry text that takes into account information about the customer and the customer's location within the store. By inputting inquiry text that takes into account information about the customer and the customer's location within the store into the promotion LLM 242, which is a generation AI, to generate product text, it is possible to generate product text that is more optimized for the customer. Furthermore, by generating promotion text in which the product text is converted into expressions suitable for product promotion, it is possible to promote products in a more appropriate and consistent manner. Furthermore, the information processing system S according to this embodiment displays promotion text on the mobile terminal 1 used by the customer, thereby enabling product promotion services to be provided to customers wherever they are within the store. In other words, the information processing system S according to this embodiment can improve the convenience of promotions that utilize generation AI.

[0125] Furthermore, the information processing system S according to this embodiment generates an inquiry text to which a description of customer attributes is added as a condition, thereby enabling the information processing system S according to this embodiment to promote products taking into account the customer's age, gender, physique, etc.

[0126] Furthermore, the information processing system S according to this embodiment generates an inquiry text to which a description of the customer's product purchase history is added as a condition. This allows the information processing system S according to this embodiment to prevent a situation in which a product that has already been purchased is recommended to a customer, and to preferentially promote products that have not yet been purchased but are similar to the purchased product.

[0127] Furthermore, the information processing system S according to this embodiment acquires location information of the customer within the store, identifies product information of products located near the acquired location information from the acquired location information, and generates an inquiry text with a description of the identified product information added as a condition. This allows the information processing system S according to this embodiment to recommend the purchase of products located near the customer's current location.

[0128] In addition, the information processing system S of this embodiment identifies the promotional text stored in the promotional text DB245 that has the most similar semantic vector to the product text based on the semantic vector of the product text and the promotional text DB245, which stores promotional text in association with the semantic vector of the promotional text, and generates the promotional text as the output promotional text.

[0129] However, the product text generated by the promotional LLM 242, which is a generation AI, uses different expressions each time. As a result, even product text related to the same product will use different expressions each time. This may result in product text containing expressions that are difficult to understand or that are inappropriate for in-store promotion. The information processing system S according to this embodiment generates output promotional text using the generated product text and a promotional text DB 245 that stores promotional text appropriate for product promotion, thereby enabling consistent product promotions to customers using more appropriate expressions.

[0130] Furthermore, the information processing system S according to this embodiment controls the promotional text to be displayed as a pop-up on the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1. This can attract the interest of customers and effectively promote the product.

[0131] The above-described embodiment can be modified as needed by changing some of the configurations or functions of the devices that make up the information processing system S. Therefore, some modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. The following mainly describes differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the content already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0132] (Variation 1) In the above-described embodiment, the SC2 is provided with the promotion LLM 242. In this modification, a configuration will be described in which a server device other than the SC2 is provided with the promotion LLM 242.

[0133] In this modification, a server device (hereinafter simply referred to as a server device) equipped with the promotion LLM 242 is installed inside the store, similar to SC2. The server device may be installed outside the store, but since information including personal information of customers is input into the promotion LLM 242, if the server device is installed outside the store, it is preferable to install it in a location that cannot be easily accessed by people unrelated to the store.

[0134] In this modified example, the product text generation unit 205 transmits the query text generated by the query text generation unit 204 to the server device via the communication line 5. The server device inputs the received query text into the promotion LLM 242. The server device transmits the product text output from the promotion LLM 242 to the SC2.

[0135] According to this modification, the processing load on SC2 can be reduced.

[0136] (Variation 2) In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, a form has been described in which promotional text is displayed on the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1. In this modified example, a form will be described in which audio data based on the promotional text is output instead of or in addition to the display.

[0137] In this modification, the control unit 200 of the SC2 generates a promotional voice text for promoting the product based on the promotional text generated by the promotional text generation unit 206. For example, the control unit 200 of the SC2 generates the promotional voice text using a voice conversion LLM.

[0138] The speech conversion LLM is a generation AI that generates text, and is an LLM. The speech conversion LLM is stored in the memory unit 24, etc. The speech conversion LLM generates promotional speech text. For example, the promotional speech text is text that encourages customers to purchase a product using expressions that would be considered natural if explained verbally.

[0139] For example, the speech conversion LLM is an LLM constructed using known deep learning technology that outputs promotional speech text in response to input of product text.

[0140] In this modified example, the speech conversion LLM 143 generates promotional speech text for a customer in response to input text data that adds content related to the customer's customer information and location information to the product text. The control unit 200 of the SC2 generates speech data based on the promotional speech text. The control unit 200 of the SC2 transmits the generated speech data to the mobile terminal 1.

[0141] The control unit 100 (an example of an output control unit) of the mobile terminal 1 controls the output of the audio data received from the SC2 from an audio output device such as a speaker of the mobile terminal 1.

[0142] According to this modification, it is possible to promote products to customers who are shopping and looking away from the display unit 18 of the mobile terminal 1.

[0143] The programs executed by the mobile terminal 1 and SC2 in the above-described embodiments are provided as files in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0144] The programs executed by the mobile terminals 1 and SC2 of the above-described embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network.The programs executed by the mobile terminals 1 and SC2 of the embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0145] Furthermore, the programs executed by the mobile terminal 1 and SC2 of the embodiment may be provided by being pre-installed in the ROM 12 or ROM 22 or the like.

[0146] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 1. Mobile devices 2 SC 3. Access Points 4 Beacons (transmitters) 5. Communication lines 11, 21 CPU 12, 22 ROM 13, 23 RAM 14, 24 Memory section 100, 200 control section 101 Facial image acquisition unit 102 Facial image transmission unit 103 Customer Information Receiving Department 104 Location information acquisition unit 105 Request part 106 Promotional Text Receiving Department 107 Display control unit 201 Facial image receiving unit 202 Customer Information Identification Department 203 Customer Information Transmission Department 204 Query Text Generation Unit 205 Product Text Generation Unit 206 Promotional Text Generation Unit 207 Promotional Text Sending Department 242 Promotional LLM 243 Personal information DB 244 Nearby Product DB 245 Promotional Text DB [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0148] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 220897

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires customer information regarding customers who enter the facility; a second acquisition unit that acquires location information representing a location of the customer within the facility; a first generation unit that generates first text information based on the customer information and the location information; a second generation unit that inputs the first text information to a generation AI that generates text related to products handled at the facility in response to the input of the first text information, and generates second text information for promoting the products described in the generated text based on the generated text generated by the generation AI; an output control unit that outputs the second text information to a terminal device used by a customer; An information processing device comprising:

2. The generative AI is a large-scale language model that is functionalized to output text related to a product based on an input of text specifying a condition, the first generation unit generates the first text information specifying descriptions related to the customer information and the location information as the conditions. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the first acquisition unit acquires the customer information including attribute information representing attributes of the customer; the first generation unit generates the first text information specifying a description related to the acquired attribute information as the condition; the second generation unit inputs the first text information to the large-scale language model and generates the second text information based on the generated text output by the large-scale language model. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. the first acquisition unit acquires the customer information including a product purchase history of the customer; the first generation unit generates the first text information specifying, as the condition, a description related to the acquired purchase history of the customer; the second generation unit inputs the first text information to the large-scale language model and generates the second text information based on the generated text output by the large-scale language model. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. the first generation unit identifies a name of a product located near a location within the facility corresponding to the location information of the customer, based on the acquired location information and first correspondence information that associates information representing a location within the facility with a name of a product located near the location, and generates the first text information that specifies a description representing the name of the product as the condition; the second generation unit inputs the first text information to the large-scale language model and generates the second text information based on the generated text output by the large-scale language model. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

6. the second generation unit identifies, based on the semantic vector of the generated text and correspondence information that stores promotional text relating to a product promotion in association with the semantic vector of the promotional text, the promotional text that is most similar to the generated text from among the promotional texts stored as the correspondence information, and generates the second text information based on the generated text and the identified promotional text. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. the output control unit controls a display device included in the terminal device to display the second text information. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. the output control unit controls an audio output device included in the terminal device to output the second text information as audio. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. a first acquisition unit that acquires customer information regarding customers who enter the facility; a second acquisition unit that acquires location information representing a location of the customer within the facility; a first generation unit that generates first text information based on the customer information and the location information; a second generation unit that inputs the first text information to a generation AI that generates text related to products handled at the facility in response to the input of the first text information, and generates second text information for promoting the products described in the generated text based on the generated text generated by the generation AI; an output control unit that outputs the second text information; An information processing system comprising:

10. a first acquisition unit that acquires customer information regarding customers who enter the facility; a second acquisition unit that acquires location information representing a location of the customer within the facility; a sending unit that sends a promotion request including the customer information and the location information to an external device; a receiving unit that receives from the external device second text information for promoting a product described in a generated text generated by a generation AI that generates text about a product handled at the facility in response to input of first text information based on the customer information and the location information; and A terminal device comprising:

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