Latte art is a skill that can take months if not years of practice to master - but not for this barista powered by artificial intelligence.
Robots of all kinds caused a stir on the show floor last week at the annual CES technology trade show in Las Vegas.
It’s innovations like this that worry Roman Alejo, a 34-year-old barista at the Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, who can’t help but wonder if the clock is ticking on hospitality jobs in the age of AI.
“It is very scary because tomorrow is never promised,” he said. “A lot of AI is coming into this world. It is very scary and very eye-opening to see how humans can think of replacing other humans.”
The world’s largest tech show put those fears back under the spotlight just a little over a month after the casino workers union in Las Vegas ratified new contracts for 40,000 members, ending a bitter, high-profile fight that called attention to AI’s threat to union jobs.
“Technology was a strike issue and one of the very last issues to be resolved,” said Ted Pappageorge, the Culinary Workers Union’s secretary-treasurer who led the teams that negotiated new five-year contracts, narrowly averting a historic strike at more than a dozen hotel-casinos on the Strip.
Hospitality workers told The Associated Press in interviews over eight months of bargaining that they were willing to take a cut in pay while on strike to win stronger job protection against inevitable advancements in technology. That includes technology already at play at some resorts: self check-in stations, automated valet ticket services and robot bartenders known as “tipsy robots.”
This story is from the January 19, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 19, 2024 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AUSTRALIAN STATES BACK NATIONAL PLAN TO BAN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 16 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Australia’s states and territories unanimously backed a national plan to require most forms of social media to bar children younger than 16.
FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM USERS IN EUROPE CAN OPT FOR LESS PERSONALIZED ADS
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will get the option to see less personalized ads if they don’t want to pay for an ad-free subscription, social media company Meta said Tuesday, bowing to pressure from Brussels over privacy and digital competition concerns.
IN THIS FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT. SOME PARENTS ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST A CELLPHONE BAN
It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students’ eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well – parents.
DIAMOND SPORTS GROUP WILL OFFER SINGLE-GAME PRICING TO STREAM NBA AND NHL GAMES STARTING NEXT MONTH
The nation’s largest owner of regional sports networks will offer single-game pricing for NBA and NHL games beginning next month.
ON THE EVE OF OSCARS HONOR, JAMES BOND PRODUCERS REFLECT ON LEGACY AND FUTURE OF 007
For the late James Bond producer Albert “Cuddy” Broccoli, receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award was a true high point in his career.
'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' TO TRUMP: 'WE'VE BEEN WITH YOU ALL ALONG'
The first “Saturday Night Live” since Donald Trump’s election victory began with the most somber of tones as a group of plainly dressed cast members, primarily women and minorities, described their new reality.
US AGENCY SAYS TESLA'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS IMPLY THAT ITS VEHICLES CAN DRIVE THEMSELVES. THEY CAN'T
The U.S. government’s highway safety agency says Tesla is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owners manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.
WAYMO'S ROBOTAXIS NOW OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A DRIVERLESS RIDE IN LOS ANGELES
Waymo this week opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.
BITCOIN HAS TOPPED $93,000 FOR A NEW RECORD HIGH. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CRYPTO'S POST-ELECTION RALLY
As money continues to pour into crypto following Donald Trump’s victory last week, bitcoin has climbed to yet another record high.
AMAZON LAUNCHES AN ONLINE DISCOUNT STOREFRONT TO BETTER COMPETE WITH SHEIN AND TEMU
Amazon has launched a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced at under $20, an effort to compete with discount retailers that have increasingly encroached on the e-commerce giant’s turf.
