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- Fast AI dot: the first digital waiter adviser started working in Russia
Fast AI dot: the first digital waiter adviser started working in Russia
Russian developers have created a digital waiter who immediately advises what to eat and which tea is suitable for pancakes, based on the interests and needs of the client. Such a "garcon" not only serves a person faster due to AI computing, but also remembers his favorite dishes and products to which he is allergic, eventually forming a digital portrait of the client. According to the authors, this is a waiter, a sommelier, and a listener all rolled into one. The project is being implemented in the Russian Federation with the support of the National Technology Initiative Platform and is already being used in some premium institutions in a test mode.
Ordering with a minimum of communication
The Fork Rest startup has developed a digital waiter that really changes the ordering process in restaurants. It works as follows: the user makes suggestions, and the AI waiter offers a limited list of products and dishes to choose from. If the dishes are not suitable, the client is provided with other recommendations. Through interaction with the client, the bot remembers new preferences and habits, which allows for more accurate recommendations when visiting the institution again.
According to the authors, the service works quickly and efficiently. When making an order, you do not need to scroll through long menus, the AI assistant will tell you which dish you will like based on your past orders or current wishes, or which wine is best suited to your chosen salad. It is noted that users do not notice that they are communicating with artificial intelligence: the interface is similar to ordinary food delivery applications, rather than complex technological systems.
— A digital waiter can act as a world-class sommelier. This will bring the guest's service and care to the level of a Michelin restaurant, using finely tuned and adapted dialogue systems," said Vlad Tkachuk, the startup's leader.
In the future, the team wants to launch "neorestorans" — establishments of a new format, where the menu is fully adapted to each guest. For example, you can order an individual lunch in the same place, taking into account your diet or preferences. The authors of the project believe that this approach can change the restaurant industry, making food not only delicious, but also healthy. They noted that during the first tests, the results of interaction with the AI assistant exceeded expectations - people order dishes that suit them better, which makes the average receipt about 30% higher. This is due to the fact that customers ask the AI bot for an addition to their favorite dishes.
As Vlad Tkachuk notes, 80% of visitors come back again because their favorite dishes and preferences have already been memorized by AI. Such a system has already been integrated both in individual premium segment restaurants and in a prestigious hotel chain, where AI catering is part of the service scheme.
The next step will be an automated food delivery system that removes routine tasks from waiters, such as delivering food around the room. For this, anthropomorphic machines, that is, robot waiters, will be used. They will reduce the so-called routine of the restaurant and additionally save time from ordering food before it appears on the table.
Now restaurants already have digital menus, but there is no full-fledged replacement of the waiter "live" yet. The startup plans to move towards developing a similar replacement. The project has already passed the acceleration program of the Kuban Science Foundation and the Eurasian Innovation Center, which is being held with the information support of the NTI.
The comforts of modern times
Timofey Voronin, Deputy Director for Technology Transfer at the NTI Competence Center for Big Data Storage and Analysis Technologies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, called the development promising. The expert notes that there are a number of difficulties and risks that need to be foreseen.
— In particular, digital waiters may not be immediately positively perceived by visitors and guests of establishments due to the lack of live communication. In addition, if they start remembering taste preferences and allergies, then it will be about storing and processing personal data, and this will require additional measures and solutions," he said.
According to the expert, this development can be implemented in various fast food chains, but not as a digital waiter, but as a consultant who will help guests and customers make choices. Such a development can also be effective and appropriate for restaurants, but it is important to understand that digital waiters risk remaining an expensive and limited tool at this stage of AI development.
According to Gennady Trifonov, a specialist in digital transformation, waiter training is expensive, but setting up and operating such a digital complex can be an even more serious expense item, taking into account the preparation of the necessary turnkey ecosystem. The expert doubts that the technology will be able to be in demand by small and medium-sized businesses, and large businesses may have their own digital platforms that are already working effectively.
— A digital waiter, especially integrated with some kind of robotic solution, can provide consultations to restaurant customers at a fairly high level. Often, not all restaurants have unified systems and scripts for waiters, and such a robot or artificial intelligence will work by default according to the script that the restaurant needs, especially given the context of what the restaurant means, what message it carries," said Anton Averyanov, CEO of the ST IT group of companies, TechNet NTI market expert..
No matter how good a solution it is, it cannot replace human consultation and human communication, the expert believes. Therefore, this solution is suitable as an opportunity for additional commercialization or acceleration of processes, but not as a substitute for a person. The AI solution will not notice completely real waiters, he concluded.
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