Every day, AI experts warn the world about how powerful the technology is becoming and how it could disrupt millions of jobs. From coding to customer service, artificial intelligence is increasingly being presented as the future of work. But while the technology may be advancing rapidly, it still appears to struggle with something many Starbucks workers can do in seconds — telling one milk carton from another.
Starbucks has reportedly terminated an AI-powered inventory program just nine months after deploying it across its North American stores, according to Reuters. The tool was part of CEO Brian Niccol’s effort to solve the coffee chain’s long-running product shortage problems, which he blamed for hurting sales.
The futuristic idea
The idea sounded futuristic. Cafe workers would hold a tablet in front of shelves stocked with syrups, milk cartons and beverage ingredients. Using cameras and LIDAR technology, the AI-powered app would automatically scan inventory, replacing manual counting with what was expected to be a faster and more accurate system.
But things did not exactly go according to plan.
According to Reuters, the app frequently miscounted items and mislabeled products. In some cases, it reportedly confused similar milk types. In others, it missed products altogether.
So while humans were worrying about AI taking jobs, the AI was apparently still trying to figure out the difference between oat milk and almond milk.
Why the AI struggled
The episode highlights a problem that continues to follow AI technology despite all the hype around it. AI systems can be powerful, but they often struggle in practical, real-world environments where context and subtle differences matter.
A slightly different label, lighting angle or packaging design can confuse an automated system in ways that would seem absurd to humans.
That is also why many experts say AI still cannot fully replace human oversight, especially in jobs that require contextual judgment and attention to detail.
Humans are back to counting
Starbucks has now decided to go back to the old method.
“Starting today, Automated Counting will be retired,” an internal company newsletter reportedly said. “Beverage components and milk will now be counted the same way you count other inventory categories in your coffeehouse.”
In simple words: humans are back in charge of counting milk cartons.
A reminder about AI’s limitations
The incident is also a reminder that despite the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, the technology still has limitations.
AI may be able to generate essays, create images and write code, but in the real world, even a coffee shop shelf can sometimes become too complicated.
– Ends
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