Definitely it's the more likely assumption that simple cronyism is at play rather the unfolding plot of a dystopian novel. I'm not sure that it's the safe assumption though.
I've been thinking: you know what would be a beneficial use of image recognition? Trash dumps. Find out what brands aren't recycled when they should be, and penalize them.
In a society that would function to minimize waste rather than maximize it as a route to increased consumption, that would be a brilliant way to enforce sanity.
