STARBUCKS DEPLOYS AI ASSISTANT TO STREAMLINE BARISTA TASKS

Starbucks announced plans to roll out a generative Al assistant, named Green Dot Assist, powered by Microsoft Azure’s OpenAl platform, to simplify barista tasks and enhance service speed.

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GREEN DOT ASSIST TO LAUNCH IN U.S. AND CANADA STORES IN FISCAL 2026

The initiative, unveiled at the Leadership Experience event in Las Vegas, will begin with a pilot in 35 U.S. locations this month, with a broader launch across U.S. and Canada stores in fiscal 2026.

AI-POWERED BARISTA SUPPORT

Green Dot Assist enables baristas to use in-store iPads to access quick answers to operational questions, such as how to prepare an iced shaken espresso or troubleshoot equipment errors, without consulting manuals or the company intranet. Baristas can type or verbally ask queries in conversational language, receiving immediate responses to support tasks like real-time shift planning, coaching, store performance monitoring, and beverage recipe refreshers. The assistant includes a video tutorial option for tasks like drink preparation, enhancing training efficiency. Starbucks reports that the technology helps baristas focus on customer interactions by reducing time spent on administrative duties.

PILOT AND ROLLOUT PLAN

The pilot program, starting this month, will deploy Green Dot Assist to 35 Starbucks locations in the U.S., testing its impact on service times and barista workflows. The broader rollout is scheduled for fiscal 2026, beginning in fall 2025, covering stores across the U.S. and Canada. Starbucks showcased the technology to over 14,000 North American store managers at its three-day Leadership Experience event, emphasizing its role in the company’s turnaround strategy under new CEO Brian Niccol, who aims to reduce service times to four minutes per order.

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