Fujitsu, the Japanese IT giant at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal, is planning to introduce artificial intelligence face-scanning systems into Britain’s supermarkets to automatically check shoppers’ ages.

The company has developed technology to be used at supermarket self-service tills that will estimate shoppers’ ages based on facial analysis.

Last week, the Home Office took a step towards allowing AI to check shoppers’ ages, saying it would consult on changes allowing supermarkets to use software that estimates if a buyer is over 18.

Fujitsu’s system has been approved by the UK’s age verification scheme, which said it was 99.9pc accurate at detecting that an 18-year-old shopper was under the age of 25.

If someone attempting to buy restricted products such as alcohol was judged to be under 25 by the system, they would have to prove their age.

According to marketing documents, Fujitsu is planning to offer the system at self-checkout devices to “instantly and rapidly estimate customers’ age based on images obtained from connected cameras”.

The software, which could be installed on existing self-checkout machines, has been designed to avoid “spoofing” such as an underage shopper holding up a picture of an older person.

The company is one of a number of technology businesses to have developed age estimation technology amid an expected jump in demand from retailers.

Fujitsu says the technology “has been developed with AI ethics in mind; it is not capable of identifying an individual and does not make use of biometric data or facial recognition technology”.

Fujitsu’s self-checkouts are active in at least one major UK supermarket chain, according to marketing documents, although the face-scanning technology is not yet in use.

The company is one of a number of players that have been testing age estimation technology ahead of the Government consultation announced last week.

Its technology was approved in August by the Age Check Certification Scheme, which verifies the accuracy of age estimation technology.

Fujitsu has faced protests and accepted that it should compensate victims after providing the faulty Horizon IT system that incorrectly recorded large financial discrepancies at Post Offices. The Post Office pursued hundreds of subpostmasters claiming they had stolen the money.

The company has said it will not bid for any more public sector contracts while an inquiry into the scandal continues.

Policing minister Chris Philp said last week the Government would consult on “secure and appropriate” use of technology that could “improve the experience of consumers and retailers.”