Starbucks CEO Reveals "Secret AI Barista": Can Assist in Coffee Making in Real Time, and May Predict Customer Orders in the Future

CryptoWorld News reports that on April 12, according to Fortune, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol confirmed that the company is actively advancing AI-related experiments and disclosed a series of internal systems. These systems can provide employees with real-time assistance, and in the future, may even enable the Starbucks app to predict customers’ orders before they place them.

The AI tool with the broadest scale of deployment today is a system called “green dot,” described as a “barista assistant.” This system is used to help store managers with day-to-day operations: when employees run into equipment issues, or need to know “how to make a certain drink,” green dot uses AI to quickly provide answers or solutions.

Brian Niccol said a key direction for Starbucks’ AI applications in the future is to predict users’ ordering needs through its app. At present, the app already supports users in quickly selecting their most recent order, but he believes there is still substantial room for improvement—making the ordering flow “faster and more seamless.”

Brian Niccol envisions that, in the future, the “friction” in the ordering process will be completely eliminated. AI systems may seamlessly integrate into the user experience, and users may even not need to open the app. For example, users could simply say to their phone, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes—help me get my Starbucks order ready,” and the drinks could be completed directly upon arrival.

This “ability to anticipate” user needs, along with voice ordering features, will become an important direction for the brand to leverage AI to enhance personalization and efficiency.