Starbucks Swears Its New ‘AI Barista’ Won’t Replace Humans—But Should We Be Worried?

In June, Starbucks announced its first-ever generative-AI assistant, “Green Dot Assist,” designed to help human employees. Unlike the current iPad P.O.S. system, which requires you to tap and scroll, Green Dot Assist can respond instantaneously to verbal questions in a conversational style. The AI system was initially tested at 35 coffeehouses, though Starbucks plans to launch it at additional locations in the coming months.

“This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to streamlining operations, reducing friction, and giving partners more time to focus on crafting beverages and connecting with customers,” the June press release said. 

On the “Opening Bid Unfiltered” podcast on Yahoo Finance, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol offered further insight about Green Dot Assist and how it supports employees, saying, “So if you run into an issue with a piece of equipment or how to build a certain drink, it’s a really fast way for us to then give them support with AI to get them to the right answer faster or to the right solution faster.”

The messaging is clear; Starbucks seems committed to assisting, not replacing, its human in-store workforce. The company will also use AI to address incoming orders, manage inventory, and enhance the Starbucks app experience. Nevertheless, with an AI-overhaul of this magnitude, it begs the question: Will Starbucks eventually replace human workers with automated robots?

When asked that question by Fortune, Niccol nipped the notion in the bud, saying, “We’re not near that right now.” The company is prioritizing “real craft” and putting “more partners back into our stores to give people a great, not robotic” experience. Starbucks refers to its employees as “partners.” While that certainly sounds like good news for current partners, Nicols didn’t go so far as to eliminate it as a future possibility. He basically just said, ‘not right now’.

In a September press release addressed to the company from Niccol, it was announced that 900 employees were laid off, non-retail partners specifically. The typical reason was given: to cut spending. However, the press release also said that Starbucks would end the year with 18,300 locations, a decline from the 18,734 that operated in June. If Niccol says that only non-retail partners are being laid off, what happens to the in-store partners at the locations scheduled to be closed?

Major companies like Starbucks will always do what is best for the company. After all, large layoffs are nothing new. But, when layoffs coincide with major technological shifts, it makes one wonder what the end goal is, and whether it will negatively or positively impact human workers.