• Healthy fastfood restaurant Kauai has launched a chatbot to usher in the company’s new coffee.
• It is a real generative AI chatbot and can be accessed online or via the Kauai app.
• It only answers coffee-related queries despite our best attempts to get it to say anything else.

When it comes to AI, it really is a case of everybody’s doing it. Now even healthy Hawaiian-themed wrap and smoothie spot Kauai has launched its own generative AI chatbot under the guise of the originally named KAUA.I.

Unlike ChatGPT or Google Gemini with which you can ask and discuss a nearly limitless number of questions and topics, KAUA.I only talks about one thing – coffee – because believe us, when we tried to get it to say something, anything else and it just linked us to the Kauai website.

But unlike say, the “chatbot” launched by Johannesburg’s City Power, KAUA.I really is a generative AI software, just limited in its scope and responses, and ultimately unnecessary outside of a nice little PR stunt.

In an announcement emailed to Hypertext, Kauai launches the AI bot to generate buzz for its latest lineup of coffee options. The company called it “an all-knowing coffee bot driven by AI.” You can access KAUA.I online here, or via the Kauai app.

If you really have any coffee-related questions like, what is decaf? Or, what is the difference between a cappuccino and an espresso, we suppose this bot could help. “If customers can’t make up their mind, then KAUA.I. will recommend their coffee order for the day,” the company says.

“This is the next natural step in enhancing our customer experience through tech. Leveraging the power of AI, KAUA.I. empowers our customers to engage more deeply with us in a way that is enjoyable and convenient. It provides instant answers to questions about coffee, brewing methods, and the unique qualities of Kauai coffee,” shares Kauai’s head of tech, Ankit Shah.

Kauai is really taking a big push into coffee, equipping its 208 storefronts country-wide with coffee-making tech, including partnerships with local firms for bespoke coffee cups. It says that it sustainably sources its beans from Honduran, Ethiopian and Colombian farmers “who make a dignified living.”

“To encourage sustainable practices and reduce disposable cup waste, Kauai offers a R2 discount to all customers bringing their own reusable coffee cup. Exclusive to app users, Kauai has brought back the much-loved coffee subscriptions. What hasn’t changed is that Kauai still offers milk alternatives such as oat and almond milk with every coffee at no extra cost,” the company adds.

[Image – Provided]