AI Robots in Royal Garden: Boosting Efficiency or Killing Jobs?

0:00It's May 2nd. I'm Corey with The Story, and this is Canada News Today, your AI-powered local news. Royal Garden, Vernon's oldest Chinese spot in British Columbia, just brought in two AI-powered robots from Bo Tinket to whip up stir-fries, Chao Man, and Chao Sui in a couple of minutes flat. The owner, Low, stresses these bots are all about boosting efficiency and keeping every dish consistent, no matter who walks in. They learn recipes, tweak flavors, and store it all in the cloud for perfect repeats. Kitchen staff stays put, including her 70-year-old mom, who now gets less strain while the machines handle the heavy lifting. Industry folks like Ann Tossinson from the BC. Restaurant associations see this fitting quick service bots, with high volume and repeat tasks, not fancy custom plates. He figures it'll split the game robots for basics. Humans for the creative touch. And spark new roles like food engineers, tweaking ingredients, and costs. Economist Ken Kekawa at UBC says full kitchen overhauls will take years.

1:04Kind of like switching from steam to electric power. Entry-level jobs might shrink, hurting skill pipelines long-term, and it's unclear if diners really want robot-made meals over that human vibe. Turns out Royal Garden tested the waters three years back with a serving robot, faced the same buzz, but ended up hiring more staff than before proof. Tech can grow the team, not shrink it.