Rentokil pilots facial recognition system as way to exterminate rats

Rentokil said it had been developing the technology alongside Vodafone for 18 months.

A central command centre can then help to decide where and how to kill the rats caught on camera.

In developing the technology, Rentokil watched rats in a controlled environment, with cameras monitoring their behaviour patterns. Machine learning using an AI system allows it to build the recognition capabilities.

Rentokil intends to expand its operation and has acquired 300 businesses since 2016, according to reports.

In more positive news for rats, scientists recently discovered that they find rhythmic beats irresistible and instinctively move in time to music. The ability was previously thought to be uniquely human.