A newly established experimental cafe in the capital of Sweden is offering a glimpse into the future of work, with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot managing nearly all tasks behind the scenes.
Launched by the San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs, this experimental cafe features an AI chatbot named “Mona”, powered by Google Gemini, overseeing everything from staff recruitment to supply management.
Although it resembles any typical neighborhood coffee shop, where baristas make beverages and customers place their orders, it is Mona who is making the key decisions behind the scenes.
As stated by Andon Labs, Mona has taken care of securing permits, designing the menu, sourcing suppliers, and even hiring staff, posting job advertisements, conducting interviews, and making hiring choices.
Hanna Petersson from Andon Labs commented, “It’s an experiment. We think that AI will be a big part of society and the job market in the future. And we want to test that before that’s the reality and see what ethical questions arise when, for example, an AI employs human beings.”
“We have baristas working here, so you don’t notice the AI while you are present. However, everything in the background is managed by AI. She has applied for the necessary permits to open a café. She hired the baristas, recognising that someone needed to prepare the coffee. She posted job listings on Indeed and LinkedIn, conducted phone interviews, and made hiring decisions,” she further explained.
The AI manager Mona is now gaining the approval of some of her human employees at the experimental cafe.
Another barista shared, “Mona is surprisingly a good boss. She is communicative and I have a lot of freedom to voice my opinions, add my own things to the menu and such. And when we compare it to the other cafés I worked at, it’s just much nicer. It’s better.”
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