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Starbucks Abandons Borked AI Inventory Tool That Couldn't Count

32 points by pier25 5mo ago

Neywiny 5mo ago
This seems like a solved problem for those who care to solve it. Weigh product on intake, weigh on outflow or some other constant displacement pump solution. I've seen How It's Made and those factories have it down to a science without a guessbot at the wheel.
- 3eb7988a1663 5mo ago
  I am also missing the cost savings. I assume coffee shops have extensive dead-time in between peak hours. If some person does not have to manually perform inventory during the day - what other value was on the table to be generated?
cityzen 5mo ago
so first claude f'd up pizza hut. Now it has f'd up starbucks. So much winning going on in this AI space lately.
qsxfthnkp2322 5mo ago
Maybe they can continue to pay people instead of robots.
- bayarearefugee 5mo ago
  But AI is better for them because people might file HR complaints against you... or anyway I guess this is something of a concern for Marc "sniffles" Andreessen... wonder why. https://youtu.be/PHQvb10vKyk?si=pJTUqDI-n4naug1O&t=8200 https://youtu.be/PHQvb10vKyk?si=pJTUqDI-n4naug1O&t=8200 (@2:16:40)
nozzlegear 5mo ago
Wonder if this is why my Starbucks has been chronically out of stock on all their food items and popular drinks for several months.
ChrisArchitect 5mo ago
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/starbucks-scraps-ai-inventory-tool-across-north-america-2026-05-21/ https://www.reuters.com/business/starbucks-scraps-ai-invento... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48227487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48227487)
Hypathia 5mo ago
[dead]
tim-tday 5mo ago
LLMs are notorious for not being able to count.
- RaftPeople 5mo ago
  Based on available info, NomadGo doesn't rely on an LLM. The issues reported had to do with incorrect object recognition.
- bjoli 5mo ago
  Try using them for cross words in a small manguage. It is hillarilus. Now, it has gotten better, but even top end models frequently answer confidently with things like "'eats grass and farts, 3 letters, _o_' , must be ozelot!"

32 points by pier25 5mo ago

This seems like a solved problem for those who care to solve it. Weigh product on intake, weigh on outflow or some other constant displacement pump solution. I've seen How It's Made and those factories have it down to a science without a guessbot at the wheel.

3eb7988a1663 5mo ago
I am also missing the cost savings. I assume coffee shops have extensive dead-time in between peak hours. If some person does not have to manually perform inventory during the day - what other value was on the table to be generated?

cityzen 5mo ago

so first claude f'd up pizza hut. Now it has f'd up starbucks. So much winning going on in this AI space lately.

qsxfthnkp2322 5mo ago

Maybe they can continue to pay people instead of robots.

bayarearefugee 5mo ago
But AI is better for them because people might file HR complaints against you... or anyway I guess this is something of a concern for Marc "sniffles" Andreessen... wonder why. https://youtu.be/PHQvb10vKyk?si=pJTUqDI-n4naug1O&t=8200 https://youtu.be/PHQvb10vKyk?si=pJTUqDI-n4naug1O&t=8200 (@2:16:40)

nozzlegear 5mo ago

Wonder if this is why my Starbucks has been chronically out of stock on all their food items and popular drinks for several months.

ChrisArchitect 5mo ago

Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/starbucks-scraps-ai-inventory-tool-across-north-america-2026-05-21/ https://www.reuters.com/business/starbucks-scraps-ai-invento... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48227487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48227487)

Hypathia 5mo ago

[dead]

tim-tday 5mo ago

LLMs are notorious for not being able to count.

RaftPeople 5mo ago
Based on available info, NomadGo doesn't rely on an LLM. The issues reported had to do with incorrect object recognition.
bjoli 5mo ago
Try using them for cross words in a small manguage. It is hillarilus. Now, it has gotten better, but even top end models frequently answer confidently with things like "'eats grass and farts, 3 letters, _o_' , must be ozelot!"