Stopping Counterfeiting with QR Codes and AI

In this episode of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Podcast, Hemang Chawla, Solutions Lead at Scantrust, speaks with Justin Picard, Co-founder and CTO of Scantrust. Their conversation explores how modern signal processing, printing physics, and machine learning are being combined to combat the global problem of product counterfeiting through secure QR codes and copy detection technology.Dr. Justin PicardDr. Justin Picard is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Scantrust, a company specializing in product authentication and traceability solutions. Originally from Canada and now based in Switzerland, Dr. Picard completed his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence before moving into digital watermarking and image security. After working in research and development roles across North America and Europe, Dr. Picard co-founded Scantrust to develop smartphone-based authentication systems that empower consumers and brands to verify product authenticity in real time.In this episode, Dr. Picard discusses the trillion-dollar global impact of counterfeiting, which now affects not only luxury goods but also everyday products such as food, industrial components, health supplements, and consumer goods—an issue intensified by e-commerce and global supply chains. He explains that traditional anti-counterfeiting methods, including holograms, UV inks, and forensic testing, struggle to scale in today’s digital marketplace because they rely on specialized equipment or human inspection.