Category Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Starbucks Tests AI Assistant to Improve Store Efficiency

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Starbucks is piloting a generative AI assistant called Green Dot Assist in 35 stores across the U.S. and Canada. The tool, developed using Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI platform, is designed to help baristas and store managers manage day-to-day tasks more efficiently.

Accessible through in-store iPads, the assistant responds to voice or text queries, offering instant guidance on drink recipes, equipment troubleshooting, and maintenance procedures. This is intended to reduce the need for staff to consult manuals during busy periods.

Green Dot Assist also automates several routine management functions. It can create IT help tickets and suggest shift changes, easing the administrative workload. Staff can then focus more on preparing drinks and engaging with customers, rather than handling procedural or technical issues.

The assistant is powered by Microsoft’s AI tools, including a grounding engine that aims to minimize errors. Starbucks is monitoring results from the pilot before expanding to more locations in 2026, as part of a larger technology upgrade that also includes new espresso machines and point-of-sale systems.

Potential business impacts include faster service, improved order accuracy, and increased upselling opportunities, which could strengthen customer loyalty and drive sales. Operationally, Starbucks expects reduced training time, lower labor costs, and better inventory management—all of which could help limit waste.

However, the effect on consumer prices remains uncertain. While greater efficiency may reduce pressure to raise prices, the cost of implementing new technology could lead to upward pricing pressure if profit margins remain tight.

The company has framed the initiative as a way to improve efficiency while supporting employees, not replacing them—a notable distinction as other food service companies explore automation to cut frontline roles.

Google Enhances Safety with AI

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In May 2025, Google introduced a set of new features aimed at strengthening online safety, quietly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into products many people already use—like Chrome, Search, and Android phones. The updates are designed to help identify and flag concerning activity in real time, before users are affected by it.

The key tool behind these updates is called Gemini Nano, a type of AI that works directly on a device rather than relying on cloud servers. It monitors websites as visits happen in real time and highlights potentially misleading or deceptive behavior—such as imitation tech support pages—even when efforts are made to appear legitimate. Since the AI runs locally, it can respond more quickly and keep your data private.

Android devices running Chrome now display alerts when websites attempt to send suspicious or misleading notification requests. These tools give users the ability to block or review the requests, offering greater transparency and control over the browsing experience.

In Google Search, AI updates have helped filter low-quality or misleading content, including a significant drop in unofficial customer service. These improvements make it easier for people to find the correct contact information when seeking help.

The same kind of content detection is now built into the Messages and Phone apps on Android, which can alert users when a call or text may not be coming from a verified source—such as a message imitating a bank or service provider.

The goal isn’t to eliminate all online concerns, but to recognize more of them early—right at the point where people are most likely to encounter them.

AI-Powered Conservation

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Artificial Intelligence has rapidly transformed from a technological novelty into a driving force across multiple sectors, from healthcare and finance to education and environmental conservation. As organizations worldwide harness AI’s analytical capabilities to solve complex problems, one promising application has emerged in wildlife protection and environmental monitoring.

Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab illustrates the potential of applying AI to projects that range from monitoring endangered species to modeling Earth’s natural systems and enhancing disaster response and preparedness. Since 2018, the lab has launched over 200 projects worldwide, combining artificial intelligence with initiatives focusing on sustainability, humanitarian action, and health.

An example of their innovative approach is the development of SPARROW (Solar-Powered Acoustic and Remote Recording Observation Watch), a new tool in biodiversity surveillance technology. This sophisticated system employs solar-powered devices equipped with energy-efficient AI chips. The devices are capable of operating autonomously for years while transmitting data via low-Earth orbit satellites.

Implementing these systems on a larger scale will require overcoming obstacles such as weather interference, equipment durability in harsh environments, and the complex task of filtering out background noise in dense forest environments. However, the potential of this technology has already been demonstrated through initial projects.

In a pioneering study, biologist Jenna Lawson deployed 350 audio monitors throughout Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula to track Geoffroy’s spider monkeys. These primates are sensitive to environmental changes and difficult to track on the ground. Using SPARROW’s AI systems, Lawson collected and analyzed vast amounts of recorded data. Published in March, her findings revealed that the monkeys avoided areas near roads and plantations, highlighting the need to rethink and redesign conservation efforts like the wildlife corridors that bisect the region’s protected reserves.

Microsoft’s commitment to global conservation continues to expand. Plans to deploy SPARROW devices across all continents by late 2025 are underway. The collected data will be open-sourced, making it accessible to researchers worldwide while protecting sensitive location information from potential misuse. This initiative is a step forward in understanding and addressing the causes of the extinction risks faced by 28% of plant and animal species. As this technology continues to evolve, it offers a promising blueprint for how AI and conservation can work together to safeguard Earth’s biodiversity.

MTV VMAs 2024: Shoppable Live TV Takes Center Stage

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The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) transformed the viewing experience with a growing  partnership between Paramount Global and Shopsense AI. This collaboration enabled real-time shopping of outfits and designer looks featured during the awards show, and marked a significant shift in content monetization for legacy media companies.

Shopsense’s AI-powered lens allowed viewers to snap photos of outfits during the show, browse similar items suggested by their product recognition algorithm, and make purchases directly from their phones. This seamless shopping experience was designed to enhance engagement and for users to “go through that shopping journey without pausing the content” according to Shopsense’s co-founder and president Bryan Quinn in an interview with CNBC.

In the age of streaming, as traditional TV advertising revenues decline, media companies like Paramount are looking for innovative solutions to boost profits. This new live shopping feature is expected to drive consumer engagement and conversion rates during high-profile events like the VMAs. As the AI continues to improve, it is predicted that this trend will proliferate with other media giants like Disney exploring similar shoppable ad formats.

Retailers including Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Urban Outfitters are leveraging this partnership to capture consumer interest at the moment they’re inspired by what they see on TV. The approach capitalizes on impulse buying, offering curated collections and lookalikes at various price points. As AI continues to transform the advertising and retail sectors, live shopping represents a growing trend that blends entertainment and commerce. This partnership could shape the future of shopping by turning live television into an interactive retail experience.

Driverless Cars to Expand Service in San Francisco

Artificial Intelligence, Companies, Tech News, Technology, Transportation Industry

In August of 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission passed a vote that allows driverless car companies Waymo and Cruise to expand their operations in San Francisco. Until now, Cruise and Waymo were only permitted to offer limited service within the city. This vote enables both companies to charge a fare for rides at any time of day or night, on any street within the municipality.

Waymo and Cruise are similar in concept to companies such as Uber or Lyft, just without the human driver. While some first responders are concerned that driverless vehicles have not yet perfected the method of getting out of the way of emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks, other travelers are hopeful that driverless vehicles will help to limit traffic fatalities, which are on the rise in San Francisco.