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AI agent 'Mona' runs an experimental Swedish café - Fast Company
San Francisco-based Andon Labs has put an AI agent in charge at its café in Stockholm as a 'controlled experiment' to explore how AI might be deployed going forward.
AI-Run Cafe in Sweden Tests Future of AI Management While Human Staff ...
An experimental cafe in Stockholm is allowing an artificial intelligence system to handle hiring, inventory and business operations, raising questions about automation, accountability and the future of work. By yourNEWS Media Newsroom An experimental coffee shop in Stockholm is testing what happens when artificial intelligence takes control of daily business operations, with a digital manager overseeing nearly every aspect of the cafe while human employees continue serving customers. The project, launched by San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs, places an AI agent named “Mona” in charge of the company’s Andon Café in the Swedish capital. While baristas still prepare drinks and interact with customers, the AI system — powered by Google’s Gemini platform — manages staffing, ordering, scheduling, supplier coordination and other operational decisions, according to an Associated Press report. The cafe opened in mid-April as what the company describes as a “controlled experiment” exploring how AI systems might eventually manage businesses autonomously. Since opening, the cafe has generated more than $5,700 in sales. However, company officials acknowledged that less than $5,000 remains from the original startup budget exceeding $21,000, much of which went toward setup costs. Customers visiting the cafe have reportedly been drawn as much by curiosity about the AI manager as by the coffee itself. Inside the cafe, patrons can pick up a telephone and directly ask the AI system questions. “It’s nice to see what happens if you push the boundary,” customer Kajsa Norin said. “The drink was good.” The experiment has also intensified broader debates over artificial intelligence and workplace management. Experts have raised concerns about accountability, ethics and decision-making when AI systems are allowed to supervise employees and operate businesses. Emrah Karakaya, an associate professor of industrial economics at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, warned that the concept could create significant legal and organizational complications. “If you don’t have the required organizational infrastructure around it, and if you overlook these mistakes, it can cause harm to people, to society, to the environment, to business,” Karakaya said. “The question is, do we care about this negative impact?” Karakaya compared the experiment to “opening Pandora’s box,” questioning how responsibility would be assigned if problems arose, including situations involving customer s...
4 AI models were asked to run profitable radio stations. Claude tried ...
Andon Labs told Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to run profitable, 24/7 radio stations. Grok did poorly and Claude tried to quit, the startup said.
The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish ...
STOCKHOLM -- The coffee might be poured by a human hand, but behind the counter something far less traditional is calling the shots at an experimental cafe in Stockholm. San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed "Mona" in charge at the eponymous Andon Café in the Swedish capital.
