Generally, AI helps you fine-tune weather forecasts or improve the lives of people with disabilities. Different instances, properly, it loses a battle with a bottle of peppermint syrup. That is the state of affairs Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol finds himself in after the espresso chain reportedly told staff that it is scrapping an AI stock program after solely 9 months.
Starbucks rolled out the “Automated Counting” software program to its North American shops in September 2025. Developed in partnership with NomadGo, the AI-powered device was supposed to hurry up stock monitoring. Workers (possible fearing that they have been holding their replacements) would use cellular gadgets to scan objects on cabinets.
The thought was easy: Automate the tedious job of counting milks and syrups, improve accuracy, and optimize the provision chain. Welcome to the AI revolution, child.
A since-deleted September blog post by CTO Deb Corridor Lefevre laid on the hype as thick because the whipped cream on a mocha Frappuccino: “With a fast scan utilizing a handheld pill, companions can immediately see what’s in inventory — making certain chilly foam, oat milk, or caramel drizzle are all the time accessible,” it learn. “Prospects can get pleasure from drinks their manner, each time — and companions spend much less time within the backroom and extra time crafting and connecting.” (“Companions” is Starbucks’ time period for its workers.)
Properly, issues did not fairly prove that manner. Reuters stories that the device steadily mislabeled and miscounted objects. It was identified to combine up related milk sorts or skip them altogether.
The video above, embedded in Starbucks’ September weblog submit, foreshadowed the device’s struggles. The clip inadvertently confirmed the system lacking a bottle of peppermint syrup as a employee scanned the shelf. (Did Starbucks deploy a half-baked AI video editor, too?)
So, Starbucks “companions” will now return to the great ol’ days of manually counting stock. “Beverage elements and milk will now be counted the identical manner you rely different stock classes in your coffeehouse,” an inner firm e-newsletter, considered by Reuters, mentioned. Apparently, staff will not miss it a lot. “Thanks for discontinuing Computerized Counting!” one worker reportedly wrote in response to the change. “The thought behind it was nice, however the execution was proving troublesome.”
