I have learned to accept the inevitable.
Technology will slither its way into every part of human life, until we are less human and ever more bits and bytes.
I still don't want it to happen quickly, so that I can shuffle away without witnessing the true horror.
That's why, whenever I hear ideas such as this one, my mouth shrivels with the fear of distaste.
Please welcome Agot.ai[1]. This claims to be "Pioneering QSR Technology with Computer Vision AI."
Some, when they hear more, might translate this as: We're going to spy on fast-food workers, so that they never, ever, ever make a mistake.
"Wouldn't it be more profitable," I hear you ask, "if this concept initially focused on fast-food chain senior executives?" It might help avoid a scandal or two[2].
But that's the lovely thing about AI, isn't it? It replaces those lower down the (fast) food chain first. And fastest.
Naturally, Agot.Ai's co-founder and CEO Evan DeSantola believes he has data on his side.
He told CNBC[3]: "We see that across the [quick-service restaurant] industry order accuracy is becoming an increasingly large problem as a result of the shift to drive-thru. What was once a smaller pain point, when the accuracy rates haven't gotten much better, is now a much larger pain point."
Perhaps. A new report from SeeLevel HX suggests[4] that the average time customers spend at the drive-thru is now 25 seconds longer. Perish the depth of that pain.
As for order accuracy, it dropped from 87% to 85%. Hardly a plague, is it?
There may