Much of the recent news in Artificial Intelligence worldwide has caused corporations, employees and end users to flood as masses to Chat GPT, Open Source AI, and other leading AI companies to uncover new methods to work faster, be smarter and make more money— after all we are cognitive misers.
But is this besides the point? What if, in the search for using artificial intelligence to find innovative business solutions, we forget to ask ourselves a fundamental question?
Danny Meyer, leading hospitality restaurateur and best selling author of Setting the Table, defines hospitality as:
“the delivery of a product and how it makes that recipient feel.”
Often in life, business, art, sex, politics etc. etc., we get far too concerned about how we feel, and forget about the other side and how they feel.
The golden rule of hospitality is to, “treat others as you believe they would want done unto them.” Can we program this into an artificial intelligence?
This is my point. AI can not replicate this fundamental hospitality and life element— at least, yet.
So where do we go from this?
Ray Kurzweil, since the dawn of his best selling book, The Singularity, has accurately estimated the technological advancements we are experiencing today in nearly every domain of business and industry.
It’s even said those alive today who maintain good physical metabolic health, can live to 150 years old!
So how do AI forecasts relate to restaurants and hospitality?
Envision a future where you drive up at Chipotle and your burrito gets made with AI arms — and finally, doesn’t fall apart like a giant mess when you eat. Autumn Swiers, writes an awesome article on these details and shows a major fast food chain already utilizing some of this technology here.
Labor accounts for roughly 25% percent in revenue — not including rent, prime costs, capital equipment, stakeholder contributions, legal, and etc. etc for restaurants. I’ve worked in restaurants for nearly a decade and have seen owners and managers overstaff. As a consequence profit margins are slashed.
When fast food corporations like Chipotle, Shake Shack, and Jack in the Box look to invest, they will do so with the intention of succeeding 10–30 years ahead. If AI’s ability to streamline processes and save money is an option for CEO’s, Owners and Stakeholders, you bet they will capitalize on this opportunity.
It’s even rumored that some fast food chains are experimenting with AI voice recognition systems. The problem is “AI isn’t smart enough — yet — to upsell, which accounts for nearly half of our gross sales,” an executive at a fast food corporation disclosed to me.
One of my colleagues, a partner at a major innovation platform company here in San Diego, works to connect AI leading companies with corporations that are working to solve hard problems in the future.
Fortunately, right now this market is young enough for players to enter the game and be successful.
What future problems does AI automation posit?
There are currently about 3.2 million fast food workers employed nationwide.
Given, we have just automated our customer facing experience and saved a lot of money for the future, now we realize Laura and her 3 kids are in a bit of a squeeze.
How are leaders planning to educate and prepare their employees for this shift? Surely, programs are being researched and implemented that will one day address these problems…
A Creative Solution(s)
Here’s my proposition:
Allocate a percentage of future projected savings into a fund used for educating and securing new opportunities for current employees.
Part of my job working at Bumble Bee Seafoods was building a data set of states that accepted our products for growth opportunities. I learned a lot about food programs available from the government — think WIC, Food stamps, etc, etc and helped prepare sales calls for the exec team.
I estimate state leaders and local agencies would jump all over the opportunity to collaborate with big business to ensure low income communities receive assistance with the upcoming changes AI will bring to the game.
That’s it for now! Click here to read the first chapter of my book, That F*cking Server, available for download.
Also, let’s connect!
