Coffee from a chatbot: Starbucks unveils 'My Starbucks Barista' AI technology for mobile orders

Coffee giant Starbucks will join the growing wave of companies using artificial intelligence and chatbots to supplement human employees, planning to unveil today what it calls an "innovative conversational ordering system" for its mobile app called "My Starbucks Barista." The company announced the new technology at its annual investor conference today, where executives including current Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and future CEO Kevin Johnson outlined the company's five-year growth plan. Starbucks teased ahead to the announcement in a news release about the event. "Today, Starbucks will unveil an innovative conversational ordering system, My Starbucks Barista, powered by groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Starbucks Mobile App. Starbucks Mobile App customers will be able to place their orders via voice command or messaging interface, delivering unparalleled speed and convenience, enhancing customer loyalty and engagement and further extending the accessibility of the Starbucks app. The My Starbucks Barista feature will roll out first on iOS in limited beta in early 2017 and be made available to more iOS and Android users in subsequent releases."