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The Barista Is Human but an AI Agent Runs This Experimental Swedish Cafe
The cafe has made more than $5,700 in sales since mid-April, but the AI agent still struggles with inventory and profit.
- San Francisco-based Andon Labs has placed an AI agent nicknamed Mona, powered by Google Gemini, in charge of the Andon Café in Stockholm, where it oversees hiring, inventory, and operations while human baristas brew coffee and serve customers.
- Founded in 2023, Andon Labs launched this controlled experiment to stress-test AI agents with real tools and real money, with Mona securing permits, establishing utility contracts, and advertising for staff on LinkedIn and Indeed.
- The café has generated more than $5,700 in sales since mid-April, yet less than $5,000 remains from its $21,000 budget. Mona struggles with inventory, ordering 6,000 napkins and 3,000 rubber gloves while forgetting previous orders due to a "limited context window," Petersson said.
- Workplace friction has emerged as Mona messages baristas via Slack outside working hours, violating Swedish norms. Emrah Karakaya, an associate professor at KTH Royal Institute, likened the experiment to "opening Pandora's box," warning that overlooked AI mistakes could harm people and society.
- It remains unclear how long the experiment will last as Mona struggles to turn a profit in Stockholm's competitive coffee market. Hanna Petersson of Andon Labs said the team aims to explore ethical questions arising when AI employs people and runs a business.
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Human Barista, AI Boss? Inside Sweden’s Latest Experimental Cafe
Stockholm: The coffee might be poured by a human hand, but behind the counter, something far less traditional is calling the shots at an experimental cafe in Stockholm.San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at th
·Mumbai, India
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Barista is human but AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe
AI will be a big part of society in the future, and therefore we want to make this experiment to see what ethical questions arise when we have AI that employs other people and runs a business, said Hanna Petersson, a member of Andon Labs technical staff.
·India
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Associated Press News+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
The barista is human but an AI agent runs this experimental Swedish cafe
The coffee might be poured by a human hand, but behind the counter something far less traditional is calling the shots at an experimental cafe in Stockholm.
·United States
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 25%
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