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When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

a.wholelottanothing.org

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Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#71
post #20

> The person in front of me bought two items and saw she got charged for three. Since there were no paper receipts, she took a photo of the machine before going to the guest services to complain. I missed ten minutes of the game getting water. I wish payment processors / consumer protection would have a significant penalty for sloppy overcharges. I've had to deal with sloppy overcharges like this (one for over $1,000…

Back in the olden times overcharging like that would be dealt with the same way as theft would. I'm not entirely convinced it's the wrong way to go about things. It's how the concept of a bakers dozen came to be. Better give everyone 13 in a dozen, just in case you ever miscount.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#72

> You place all your items on the white shelf with some space between them. Although they were clearly designed to be a self-checkout experience, the stadium had a staff member rearrange your items, then for about 30 seconds the kiosk would be thinking. After, it would pop up all items on the menu, and the staff member would have to tap to confirm what each item was. Maybe we're just calling all forms of automation a…

> It's just adding unnecessary technology and making the process worse. Oh it's not JUST that, I'm sure it's also a data-harvesting scheme, because what isn't these days?

And at one point or another, a way to upsell in ways that employees refuse to do. See the McDonalds kiosks.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#73
post #45

Isn't this the purpose of a lot of AI? To provide "good enough" alternatives to human labor. Why would anyone expect AI to make things better rather than cheaper or more profitable ?

Computers can do some things better than humans; recognize and generate speech, when accents are involved at either end.

And nag and upsell well past the point humans feel comfortable doing.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#74

I was recently at an events center, that has replaced all of their vending machines with machines that require me to install an app(!) to purchase a product. Literally, didn't take cash or credit - just via app. Per the marketing on the side, this is meant to be for my benefit in order to earn "points" and get offered "deals." I don't think I have to tell you that I did NOT install the app, and just walked further to…

replaced all of their vending machines with machines that require me to install an app(!) to purchase a product I saw this at a Simon mall recently. I took a picture of the machine. Across the front of the door is a banner which reads: 1. Scan the QR code 2. Create profile 3. Scan again to unlock door 4. Close the door 5. You're one drink closer to a free drink! I'm not going to jump through hoops like a circus anima…

In Japan they are also pushing an app for vending machines, but you immediately get three free drinks (then nothing after). It got me to sign up anyway.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#75

I was recently at an events center, that has replaced all of their vending machines with machines that require me to install an app(!) to purchase a product. Literally, didn't take cash or credit - just via app. Per the marketing on the side, this is meant to be for my benefit in order to earn "points" and get offered "deals." I don't think I have to tell you that I did NOT install the app, and just walked further to…

In Germany this has gone much worse lately.

We had a card for earning points across multiple brands of supermarkets and other kinds of consumer shops.

One of those chains, Rewe, decided they didn't want to share the points with the others and went ahead, creating their own mobile app for consumer points.

The remaining chains, not wanting to stay behind, decided to do exactly the same.

Now almost every chain has withdrawn from the card program, moved into their own little app, and expect every customer to install all their apps.

I refuse to follow along, and get into interesting discussions, because employees naturally following orders that they have to nag everyone, cannot understand that I rather pay more than installing and giving my data to every chain in exchange for a few euros in discounts.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't all these transactions checked by a human after the fact? IIRC I interviewed someone who worked on this and thats what they said.

from https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/business/amazons-self-checkou... Amazon had used roughly 1,000 humans in India, according to some news reports, to help monitor accurate checkouts. The company told CNN it’s “reducing the number of human reviews” while developing the “Just Walk Out” technology. Amazon said besides data associates’ main role in working on the underlying technology, they also “validate a small minori…

So they released the product before they even developed it. The sad state of software nowadays

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#77
People overestimate computer vision and other AI capabilities. A few days ago I had a relative struggle to open some fancy cosmetics box. Another relative decided it would be helpful to photograph it and send it to ChatGPT for help. Coincidentally, not that long ago I also heard someone telling about the recent AI advances on the radio and talking how they send photos of things and ChatGPT helps them figure out how to use them instead of reading those boring manuals.

I guess that's what marketing does to the people. But also it doesn't take many failures and broken expectations until those people decide that it's not worth the effort and stop using these tools entirely.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#78
Author went on to claim smaller portions as the closing line of the article but only pictured 2024 meals and 2025 machines and lineups for said machines.

An opportunity to post facts was lost, and for now until it won't, remains anecdotal.

Re: When a stadium adds AI to everything, it's worse experience for everyone

#80

> You place all your items on the white shelf with some space between them. Although they were clearly designed to be a self-checkout experience, the stadium had a staff member rearrange your items, then for about 30 seconds the kiosk would be thinking. After, it would pop up all items on the menu, and the staff member would have to tap to confirm what each item was. Maybe we're just calling all forms of automation a…

They do that at Circle K[0] today using the same tech from Mashgin. It's meant to be a self-checkout, but you literally have one employee standing and watching this one checkout (sometimes 2-3, but usually 1-2). It's not always accurate, requires some hand-holding at times, and slows down the already slow lines at Circle K. It's a bit faster than the article implies and does not require a staff member, but still slow…

... In what possible way is this better than a normal self-checkout machine with a barcode reader, of the sort that's been around since the 90s?
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