This AI vending machine spits out bullets

Six vending machines dispensing ammunition have popped up in grocery stores across the US.

It’s nothing like any other vending machine you’ve ever seen. Instead of giving out soda or snacks, this one spits out bullets. It’s also equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition technology to verify the buyer’s age.

Six such vending machines have popped up in grocery stores across the country. Two were installed in Alabama, and another four in Oklahoma. American Rounds, the company that developed the machines, has installed them in Super C Mart and Fresh Value stores.

“The future of ammo sales is here,” the company stated. The automated dispensers are equipped with card scanning, facial recognition software, and AI tech to verify the buyer’s age.

The vending machine caught the media’s attention over the weekend, with Newsweek and the Telegraph among the most prominent outlets reporting on it. However, it’s definitely not breaking news to the shoppers in Alabama and Oklahoma.

The video of American Rounds installing its vending machine in the shop in Alabama is six months old.

“The stores were really the inspiration for it. I mean, they knew their customer base, and they came to us and thought this would be a really good opportunity for their customer base. There's a lot of hunting community here in Pell City, and they thought that their customers would love an opportunity to be able to buy ammunition here at the store,” Grant Majors, the CEO of the company, said.

Many seem to have discovered the news only now after the topic resurfaced online. Some netizens were surprised and couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Deeply dystopian s**t.”

“What could go wrong.”

“People in other countries must be like WTF??? when they see this. LOL. Welcome to America.”

“I am way over 18, and I mean way over. I did not know there was an age requirement to buy ammo. When I was a kid I used to buy boxes of .22 rounds at the hardware all the time.”

Other netizens, from Florida to Arkansas, simply expressed their wish that a similar vending machine existed where they lived.