Starbucks Launches New A.I. Assistant For Baristas

Starbucks (SBUX) is launching a generative artificial intelligence (A.I.) assistant for its coffee baristas that’s powered by Microsoft (MSFT) Azure’s OpenAI platform. The A.I. assistant will initially be deployed in a trial at 35 Starbucks locations in the U.S. as part of a strategy to simplify baristas’ jobs and speed-up service at the company’s coffee shops.The Seattle-based coffee chain showcased the new technology to more than 14,000 North American store managers at an event held in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 10. A broader rollout of what Starbucks is calling the “Green Dot Assist” platform across the U.S. and Canada is slated to begin this autumn. News of the A.I. assistant comes as Starbucks tries to revive its sluggish sales under new CEO Brian Niccol. Niccol has set a goal of improving Starbucks’ service times to four minutes per order. The hope is that quick, accurate answers to barista questions will speed-up service and improve quality at Starbucks locations. With the A.I. assistant, Starbucks’ baristas will be able to use a tablet to get answers to questions such as how to make an iced cappuccino and troubleshoot equipment problems.Starbucks is expanding its relationship with Microsoft about a year after the tech giant’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella stepped down from Starbucks’ board of directors. The stock of Starbucks has declined 1% this year to trade at $91.43 U.S. per share.