People look for the experience, they don’t want robots in bars: India’s first woman bartender

Artificial intelligence is booming, transforming every walk of life, including hospitality. The future of mixology and the role of AI in it was one of the key topics addressed during the Women in Mixology panel discussion held in Bengaluru on Wednesday, featuring India’s first woman bartender, Shatbhi Basu, hospitality professional Aslam Gafoor, entrepreneur Ajay Gowda, among others. And the collective opinion was the need to find the right balance. Held as part of Women’s Day celebrations, the event also had six women mixologists from across India.

AI good for the backend According to Shatbhi, while AI is good for fast food outlets, it’s not ideal for places where people come looking for an experience – such as bars. “I think AI is great for airports, cinema halls, etc., – places where you may want something quick. In the case of bartending, sure it can be used behind the scenes, to understand how to make your bar more efficient, package your backend costing, to come up with one-liners for cocktails and the like – but not in the forefront.”
According to Shatbhi, even if people begin to introduce AI in bartending, it won’t last. “It may cost people their jobs in the beginning but soon, everyone will realise that it is not working. When you deal with a human bartender, you can communicate your needs and make requests for changes. But with AI taking over, you’ll reach a stage where you’ll have to accept everything that’s dished out to you. There are people around who don’t like the idea of a restaurant where you have to scan QR codes for the menu. People look for the experience, they don’t want robots in bars,” she added.

The balance between AI and human touchThe audience, however, had divided opinions. While some said the introduction of AI will take away the creativity from the field, some others opined that AI could help in creating personalised experiences, making the processes involved more efficient. While AI is a great concept, the importance of the human element can’t be overlooked. Urging for the need to find a balance, Aslam said, “AI is here, and it’s here to stay. Now, it’s up to us to find a balance between the two, to cater to the customers the best way possible. The human touch and feel combined with the possibilities of the AI will bring forth the best experience.”

AI revolution across the worldEnabled by AI, apps, kiosks and chatbots are revolutionising the consumer experience across the world. Launched last year by an Israeli startup, the world’s first robotic bartender, Cecelia.ai, provides interactive drink service for customers, complete with jokes, an ID scanner, fluency in over 40 languages and the ability to make up to 120 drinks in an hour. Recently, two British developers introduced A.I. Bar, a feature that helps bartenders keep track of customers using facial recognition, ensuring faster service and less wait time for customers. Besides, there are features available where customers request for drinks digitally and AI, which recognises the drink offers them the specials promoted with text, graphics and video.