AI's growing role in the Restaurant Industry

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1. AI's growing role in the Restaurant Industry

The restaurant industry is increasingly turning to AI to streamline operations and enhance customer experience. Chipotle, a trendsetter in tech adoption, uses a system from PreciTaste that employs sensors to monitor food pans in real-time. This AI-driven approach not only tracks inventory levels but also analyzes traffic patterns to forecast demand, thereby alerting managers when to restock.

Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell and KFC, has also embraced AI with its "Recommended Ordering" system. Aimed at reducing food waste and lowering costs, the system predicts and recommends the amount of product managers should order weekly. Starbucks, under its Deep Brew initiative, uses AI for a range of tasks from inventory management to staffing needs and even equipment maintenance. The technology also aids in making pricing decisions and personalizing the chain’s mobile app.

Domino's has been a pioneer in AI adoption, using the technology to start making pizzas even before customers complete their orders. This has significantly reduced delivery times. Similarly, IHOP employs AI from Google to personalize its online menus based on customers' past orders. White Castle, after a year-long test, plans to bring AI to 100 of its drive-thru locations by the end of next year, signaling a broader acceptance of AI in the restaurant industry.

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2. Germany pledges €500M for AI research and innovation

Germany is set to invest nearly €500 million in AI research and development by 2024. The funding will be directed towards supercomputing infrastructure, skills development, and the creation of 150 new professorships. Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger announced the new AI Action Plan, framing it as a pathway to achieve "technological sovereignty" and reduce dependence on external powers.

The minister emphasized the need for EU-wide cooperation in AI, naming France and Scandinavian countries as potential partners. Stark-Watzinger, a member of the anti-regulation Free Democratic Party, argued that Europe's approach to AI, which stresses trust and transparency, serves as a competitive advantage. This stance, however, is at odds with the German AI Association, which has expressed concerns that the EU's AI Act could stifle innovation.

While the investment and focus on AI have been welcomed, there are concerns about the practical implementation of these advances. Just 15% of German companies currently use AI, according to Bitcom, an association of German companies in the digital economy. The association also highlighted the need for more incentives to transfer research into practical applications, warning that restrictive data transfer rules could be a hindrance.

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3. UTD researchers develop AI-Enabled robotic system for enhanced object recognition

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a novel robotic system that leverages artificial intelligence to improve object identification and memory. Unlike previous approaches that relied on a single interaction for learning, this system allows the robot to push objects multiple times, capturing a sequence of images for better recognition. The technology aims to help robots detect a wide array of objects commonly found in home environments.

The robot, named Ramp, pushes each item 15 to 20 times, enabling it to take more detailed photos with its RGB-D camera, which includes a depth sensor. This repetitive interaction enhances the robot's ability to learn about each item, reducing the potential for mistakes. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first system that leverages long-term robot interaction for object segmentation," said Dr. Yu Xiang, senior author of the paper.

The research, presented at the Robotics: Science and Systems conference, is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Perceptually-enabled Task Guidance program. The next step for the researchers is to improve other robot functions, including planning and control, which could enable tasks such as sorting recycled materials. This development marks a significant advance in the field of robotics and AI, opening doors for more complex tasks to be automated in the future.

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4. SAAIA launches in Cape Town to promote Responsible AI

The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) is set to officially launch in Cape Town. The association aims to encourage the responsible use of AI in South Africa, focusing on economic growth, trade, investment, equality, and inclusivity. By uniting stakeholders across commercial, government, academic, start-up, and NGO sectors, SAAIA hopes to create a collaborative environment for AI development.

The association has outlined ten key objectives, including assisting with policy-making, uniting buyers and suppliers to grow the economy, and promoting debate on inclusion, ethics, regulation, and standards. These objectives serve as a comprehensive framework for the responsible development and adoption of AI in South Africa. Dr. Nick Bradshaw, the founder of SAAIA, emphasized the speed of AI's impact on traditional industries, stating that the adoption of responsible AI is crucial for commercial and societal benefit.

SAAIA's mission is underpinned by a focus on inclusivity and ethics, aiming to ensure that the benefits of AI are available to everyone, not just a select few. The association is supported by various partners, including the national Department of Communication and Digital Technologies and Google, showcasing the broad interest and investment in responsible AI within South Africa.

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5. Martian Lawyers Club secures $2.2M for AI-Driven game personalization

Martian Lawyers Club has raised $2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Fly Ventures, aiming to revolutionize game personalization through generative AI. Unlike traditional approaches that focus on content generation, MLC aims to enhance the core systems of games. Co-founders Kamen Brestnichki and Levi Fussell believe that true personalization comes from systems that offer player agency and responsive game mechanics.

MLC plans to offer a Software Development Kit that acts as a sandbox for developers, allowing them to design experiences without having to create every game interaction from scratch. This SDK will also have built-in guardrails to ensure the generative AI doesn't go awry. The company's vision is to make games that feel more like conversations, where player inputs lead to non-predefined game responses.

The funding will be used to hire a game programmer and an engineer for cloud infrastructure development. MLC is also working on its first game—a collectible card game—as a testbed for its technology. The startup is the first spin-off from Bulgaria’s AI-centric INSAIT tech institute and marks a significant step in the application of AI to game personalization.

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