Bars, restaurants and hotels may be the next site for integration of artificial intelligence into everyday life.
Attendees at today’s annual Hospitality Maine summit at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort interacted with Cecilia, the AI bartender, who is able to check ID, mix cocktails and communicate with customers. The avatar appears on a large screen, and can be customized with different appearances and accents, engage with customers or share a joke.
"Why did the Mainers get their Christmas gifts in May? It was finally warm enough for Santa to come," Cecilia said. "Now, ready for that Maine Coolah?"
Below her image is a touch screen and drink dispenser.
The company behind the avatar, Cecilia.ai, said she isn't meant to replace staff, but work alongside them. She contributes tips to employees, and can be programmed to reference and direct customers to staff members.
Although this is the first time Cecilia has come to Maine, she is already serving drinks at locations around the country.
Speaker Brian Connors said there are many new tools that utilize AI. Most are focused on analytics, to help business owners track logistics such as staffing and food costs. But there are customer-facing tools as well, like Cecilia.
"Everywhere around the world, really is that is now it's kind of a normal where words like ChatGPT and using generative AI is normal, but really learning how to embrace it," he said. "That's where we're at now, where we see it as a tool to either create a guest experience just like Cecilia. Or, how do we run our business more efficiently? How do we get better results with less time?"
With much of the industry struggling with staffing in recent years, Connors says now is the ideal time to incorporate new technology, to help address those problems.
