How will artificial intelligence (AI) serve the coffee industry?

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It seems every day brings a new headline about artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionising – or even threatening – the world as we know it. But beneath the hype, this powerful technology has the potential to reinvent the global economy and is already being harnessed by coffee and hospitality businesses to realise new possibilities across customer personalisation, beverage consistency and operational efficiency, reports Tobias Pearce

It takes lightspeed coordination between billions of neurons in the human brain for a barista to take your coffee order, prepare the beverage – and wish you a pleasant day.

But increasingly, there’s another sophisticated mind at work behind the counter. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer science fiction and is already being deployed by hospitality businesses around the world to optimise operations and deliver personalised customer service with greater accuracy than ever before.

Though the technology is in its infancy, AI looks set to revolutionise the global economy and even humanity itself. A recent report from digital consultancy Accenture estimated that AI could double annual national economic growth and boost labour productivity in developed countries by up to 40% by 2035. Meanwhile, a major PwC study estimates that AI could add $15.7trn to the global economy by 2030 – with $6.6trn generated through increased productivity alone.

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