The right prompt can now help you pick your next Starbucks order.
The coffee giant on Tuesday started testing an app in the AI program ChatGPT that is designed to help pick a beverage or customization based on factors like mood, their craving, the weather or what they’re wearing today.
Customers open ChatGPT, go to the app directory, search for and then enable the Starbucks app.
They can then chat @starbucks to customize their perfect drink. So if customers are craving a beverage that isn’t too sweet, they ask the AI agent for a recommendation. Or they can upload a photo that captures the moment, such as the weather or the outfit they’re wearing right now.
Customers can then customize their drink, choose their coffeeshop and start their order in ChatGPT before finishing checkout in the Starbucks app or on the website.
“Over the past year, one thing has become clear: customers aren’t always starting with a menu. They’re starting with a feeling,” Paul Riedel, SVP, digital and loyalty at Starbucks, said in a statement. “We wanted to meet customers right at that moment of inspiration and make it easier than ever to find a drink that fits.”
The app effectively makes Starbucks the first major restaurant chain to allow its customers to start their order through one of the AI programs. It also shows one of the ways in which that technology is advancing, letting people describe what they’re in the mood for and letting the robot provide some options.
Starbucks can help match your outfit with a beverage. | Image courtesy of Starbucks.
For Starbucks, the technology could help fortify its standing in the rapidly growing beverage category.
The Seattle-based company is facing a lot of competition, including growing drive-thru competitors like Dutch Bros and 7 Brew, along with established brands such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell that are pushing into the business.
In using ChatGPT, Starbucks also gets to burnish its credentials as one of the industry’s most tech-forward companies.
“This is the kind of technology that sparks creativity and helps customers discover something new,” Riedel said. “For our baristas, it means customers arrive feeling more ready, more inspired and more excited about the drink they’re about to enjoy.”
He noted that this is a test, and that the company would learn from the test as more customers use it.
Riedel called it “an opportunity for us to listen, learn and refine as we go. You’ll see us continue exploring new ways technology can delight our customers while supporting our baristas.
“This is only the beginning.”
UPDATE: This story has been updated to correct Riedel's first name.
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