Every day, we seem to be moving closer to the complete integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in our daily lives. However, we are also concurrently learning about the limitations of these mechanical helpers.
A recent case of a robot barista malfunctioning at a hawker centre in Punggol highlights this fact.
Not only did it not place the coffee kettle properly, it even poured a customer’s drink directly onto the ground.
A video of the incident was uploaded on the Hawkers United – Dabao 2020 Facebook page and on YouTube by KS Toh on Friday (28 Apr). Users who saw the video commented on this blunder, and even joked that it was throwing a tantrum.
The video shows the robot barista at the One Punggol Hawker Centre in the process of making a customer’s coffee.
Everything seems to be working normally until it tried to put down a coffee kettle it was using. In a moment of miscalculation, the robot barista placed the kettle wrongly, causing it to tilt to one side.
Source: KS Toh on YouTube
Of course, being a robot, the mechanical arm does not notice the mistake. Instead of pouring the customer’s coffee into the kettle, it poured the liquid straight onto the ground.
Source: KS Toh on YouTube
Throughout the video, the person filming it could be heard commenting on the incident and expressing his shock.
When he realised the robot barista was about to waste a pot of perfectly good coffee, he exclaimed in Cantonese saying, “This can’t be right!”
He then commented that the hawker centre will likely have to issue a refund for this blunder.
As the video nears the end, another man reached into the booth to readjust the tilted coffee kettle. However, there was no salvaging the spilt coffee.
Source: KS Toh on YouTube
In the captions, KS Toh explained that this is an example of why robot baristas cannot take the place of human baristas.
That being said, he also noted that there have been many who criticised the robot for this small mistake. He clarified that while this incident has to be looked into, he still supports the use of robots.
Source: Facebook
Speaking to MS News, KS Toh added that the video was filmed by his cousin and her husband from Canada. The couple was visiting Singapore when they encountered the incident.
Facebook users who came across the video seem to be taking this little mishap with a good amount of humour. Some even joked that this is the robot barista rage quitting due to bad working conditions.
Another said that it “rebelled” as it was not getting enough lubricant.
Source: Facebook
One commenter even took this opportunity to comment on the ongoing human-versus-AI discourse. They said that robots do not have the awareness and ability to correct mistakes, unlike people.
Thus, they feel that not all things can be replaced by robots.
Source: Facebook
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Featured image adapted from KS Toh on YouTube.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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