'I’m not tipping the robot': MLB announces AI-robot bartenders for All-Star Week, and fans are not happy

The MLB announced that robotic bartenders were going to be serving drinks during All-Star Week as part of a new initiative with multiple robotics companies.

Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is the host for the 2024 MLB All-Star games, and fans are getting a literal taste of what the league's new technology has to offer ahead of the game.

The first system is called ADAM, an artificial intelligence-driven service robot developed by Nevada company Richtech Robotics Inc. It can reportedly make drinks, clean up after itself, greet customers, and carry on simple conversations.

"Adam was our CEO's [Wayne Huang’s] vision. He wanted something new to the market for food and beverage," said engineer Jakub Campbell. "It's not just a robot. [Richtech Robotics] wanted it to have a personality and they can talk to you, it waves at you, gives you small talk, stuff like that," he added, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

'If you're going to the All-Star Game, a mammal may not make your drink.'

The MLB posted a video of the robot to its X account, showcasing the machine making drinks with a Texas Rangers jersey and hat draped over it. Fan reactions to the AI bartender were less than pleasant:

"I'm not tipping the robot," said an L.A. Dodgers fan.

"Robots taking human jobs? In this economy?" another fan chimed in.

"Can we just get a beer?" the official Budweiser account replied.

Many other replies complained about the arrival of a dystopian future and the prospect that the robot is too slow or could break down, causing further delays.

However, as Dallas reporter Alan Scaia pointed out, this wasn't the only robot drink-maker available to fans in the 100 level of the stadium.

"If you're going to the All-Star Game, a mammal may not make your drink. They've got 2 different robot bartenders, ADAM and Rotender. Rotender's founder says soda & liquor are measured to milliliter. 'Very precise. You always know what you're getting,'" Scaia wrote on X.

Rotender is an automated cocktail machine out of Los Angeles, with the company claiming it can make a drink in 30 seconds. The robot's backstory is alleged to be based off a study that said fans spend an average of 30 minutes waiting for drinks.

"We said, hey, let's make a machine where you can get simple stuff. It's not going to be a mixologist, it's not going to take several minutes to make. All you have is a big screen, big buttons, you tap what you want, you tap your card to pay and you're good to go. You're finally free to enjoy the experience that you came to see," said founder Ben Winston.

Rotender is a lot closer to a vending machine than its counterpart ADAM and is likely to be more accepted by the majority of fans because of that. A picture of the "self-serve satellite bar" showed a machine with two screens and a transparent section in between. Customers can see upside-down liquor bottles on a rotating belt that initializes their selection before pouring the desired drink.

The 2024 MLB All-Star Game is on July 16, 2024.

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