Guest Author
Artificial intelligence continues to rattle people’s nerves on all fronts from the upcoming elections to cybersecurity.
It is even rattling the music business as the Tedeschi Trucks camp reports an artist they hired to make a show poster used AI to create it.
AI is poking its head into our lives and business at every turn and even in the neighborhood pub.
If you have visited the Wyndham Resort and Conference Center in Orlando, you may have just met the first AI bartender, Sarah, created by a company called Cecilia.ai.
That’s right, campers. Go to the bar at the H Street Grille, and Sarah will check your ID and get you what you need fast.
I think of it as the “Smart Beer Tub.” I mean, everyone loves the beer tub at a huge bar or event.
Wait 30 minutes for a drink or snag a cold one fast and easy at the corner beer tub?
Sarah is also pretty entertaining as she describes herself on their website
“People think I am a robot, but I am chattier than most re-bots you will meet. I talk, I listen and I’m goddamn hilarious.”
That is a classic, and she sounds like her sass will give your local Moammar “Moe” Szyslak (of Moe’s Tavern fame) a run for their money.
I can see this tech becoming more popular to assist with labor shortages in the hospitality industry — and as a unique gimmick. It’s fast, efficient and something new.
The one in Orlando also speaks Spanish and can tell you anything you want to know about the hotel.
You’re talking about a concierge who serves booze. It would appear you can pre-load the script to talk about your brand and politics, tell jokes, or maybe even discuss college football—the go-to for many bartenders.
This robot bartender can pour 120 drinks an hour, and any tips that she receives are forwarded to the human staff of establishments that have her placed, so that is good news for non-robots. For those fearful of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence, if you work in retail, data entry, or administrative tasks, Forbes says you should have that fallback career ready to go.
For the hospitality industry, I think we will see some synergy in helping distribute the workload and deal with the staffing issues mentioned above.
Cecilia has some roots in Florida, but the Cecilia.ai tool was created in Israel. Those Florida roots would be that one of the first utilizations and clients of Cecilia.ai of the computer barkeep was at the Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism.
One of the robots is used in the Bacardi Center for Excellence coursework to train people in the hospitality industry. To that end, they offer the only spirits management curriculum in the United States.
If you are in the market for a virtual bartender, bring your checkbook — the cost appears to be north of $50,000 and must be carefully maintained to keep it running smoothly.
If you are looking to enhance your next high-profile event or really make your office a Best Places to Work in Florida, this might just be the item that will have your team, clients, and friends raving.
It’s not just Cecilia/Sara out there, you will find various robot bars on cruise ships and hotels popping up all over. Royal Caribbean has one, according to my event expert, Susan Stafford with The Event Architects.
I walked by one recently, too. Last month, as we were leaving my wife’s family reunion in Mississippi last month (shoutout to the Yoste Family, awesome crew), we popped into the Hard Rock in Biloxi, and they had a robot bar. Sadly, it was not available.
I am sure these things have extreme maintenance needs like the Robot Hotel I wrote about years ago.
Artificial intelligence is going to continue to creep us out, startle us, take jobs, automate lots of things, help us, pour drinks, make art for bands (apparently), and yes, make the intersection of technology and politics hard to navigate in the coming months.
Also, if you see someone talking to their necklace, don’t have them Baker Acted just yet that’s just AI helping people battle loneliness with the AI jewelry called “Friend.”
Oh boy, that is something; better find me a Cecilia fast.
And make it a double, please.
