Starbucks to roll out Microsoft Azure OpenAI assistant for baristas

Starbucks plans to deploy a generative artificial intelligence assistant created with Microsoft The Openai d´Azure platform at 35 locations this month as part of its strategy to simplify services and speed up baristas services in its cafes.

The coffee channel has shown new technology to more than 14,000 North American store managers at its leadership experience in Las Vegas on Tuesday. A large launch of the “Green Dot Assist” platform through the United States and Canada is planned for the company 2026 of the company, which begins in the fall.

The three -day event occurs while Starbucks pushes to rekindle Its slow American sales And “Back Back to Starbucks”, as CEO Brian Niccol has described the effort since He took the role Last year. Niccol’s priorities include the reduction in service times to four minutes per order. Quick and precise answers to Barista’s questions could help achieve this goal.

“This is just another example of how innovation technologies come into service of our partners and make sure that we do our best to simplify operations, make their work a little easier, perhaps a little more fun, so that they can do what they do best,” the director of technology of Starbucks, Deb Hall Lefevre, told CNBC.

Instead of browsing the textbooks or accessing the Starbucks intranet, baristas can use a tablet behind the counter equipped with a green dowry help to obtain answers to a range of questions, how to make an icy icy espresso to repair equipment errors. Baristas can type or verbally ask for their requests in conversational language.

While the AI ​​assistant is evolving, Starbucks has even more important plans for his next generation. These ideas automatically include creating a ticket with equipment problems or generation of suggestions for a substitute when a barista calls for work, according to Lefevre.

Starbucks extends its relationship with Microsoft about a year after the CEO of the Satya Nadella technology giant left the Starbucks board of directors.

Since Openai launched Chatgpt at the end of 2022, companies have attempted to implement a generative AI in their own operations, imagining that the beaten of AI can reduce spending and perhaps even increase their share of equity. Walmart and JPMorgan Chase are among the company giants who have deployed AI assistants for their workforce.

But chatbots are not always a perfect solution. They can sometimes provide inaccurate answers, called “hallucinations”, which could mean another headache instead of an easy resolution. Lefevre said that the company’s partnership with Microsoft includes a basic engine that guarantees the accuracy of the information provided.

Other catering companies have also sought an AI to simplify the jobs of their catering workers and improve operations. For example, Yum brands has in partnership with Nvidia To deploy an AI order taking, computer vision assessments and restaurant performance supplied by NVIDIA fueled by AI. But the AI ​​agreements have not always succeeded. McDonald’s has ended its partnership with IBM After its ordering test in force of the AI, did not meet expectations.

Other new technologies exposed to leadership experience include the latest generation of Starbucks Mastern Espresso machines and a more intuitive points of sale system.

Lefevre said that the holders have learned to use the new POS as little as an hour. In addition, technology can offer personalized recommendations and repeated orders from loyal customers, helping Starbucks to reach the personalized key that he seeks to bring back to his cafes.