This is the second in a series of articles looking at the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in restaurants. Artificial intelligence is becoming a crucial asset in the restaurant technology playbook. But as many brands invest in consumer-facing products like automated drive-thrus and in-store kiosks, experts argue that back-of-house improvement will have the biggest impact on bottom lines. As the industry nears an AI tipping point, it's more important than ever for smaller companies to seriously consider how to implement the tech in their systems -- or risk facing serious consequences in three to five years, Aaron Allen & Associates CEO Aaron Allen told Restaurant Dive. "We see massive closures and bankruptcies and retooling of restaurants in much the same way we're seeing in retail," Allen said.

This is the second in a series of articles looking at the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in restaurants. Artificial intelligence is becoming a crucial asset in the restaurant technology playbook. But as many brands invest in consumer-facing products like automated drive-thrus and in-store kiosks, experts argue that back-of-house improvement will have the biggest impact on bottom lines. As the industry nears an AI tipping point, it's more important than ever for smaller companies to seriously consider how to implement the tech in their systems -- or risk facing serious consequences in three to five years, Aaron Allen & Associates CEO Aaron Allen told Restaurant Dive. "We see massive closures and bankruptcies and retooling of restaurants in much the same way we're seeing in retail," Allen said.

Man will only become better when you make him see what he is like. The disagreement this summer between two currently-reigning U.S. tech titans has brought new visibility to the debate about possible risks of Artificial Intelligence. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been warning since 2014 about the doomsday potential of runaway AI. Along the way, Musk's views have been challenged by many but the debate went mainstream when another billionaire celebrity CEO, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took issue with what he believes to be Musk's alarmist view. This tiff of the titans is worth noting because of the high stakes and because their opposing views represent the most common schism over AI.

Scientists agree that machines will begin to think for themselves in the near future. What's not clear is how they'll feel about us when they do. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have recently seen computers beat humans at games like chess and pass IQ tests set for humans . And plenty of experts have cautioned against the rising intelligence of machines. Physics professor Stephen Hawking and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are some of the names that have spoken about the dangers of robots turning on humanity.