Guangzhou restaurant fires its robot staff for their incompetence

[yuiyoshida]

"you're fired!"

Employing robots and artificial intelligence in Chinese restaurants has turned out to be not such a smart idea after all, with restaurants in Guangzhou either closing down or firing their mechanical staff.

According to Workers' Daily, two restaurants which made use of robotic waiters have closed down and a third which remains open has given all but one of the robots the sack.

Their human counterparts at the restaurant were full of complaints about their former colleagues. "The robots weren't able to carry soup or other food steady and they would frequently break down. The boss has decided never to use them again," said one employee.

Another waiter remarked that the robots were only able to perform a small number of tasks. "Their skills are somewhat limited," she said. "They can't take orders or pour hot water for customers."

It costs approximately 50,000 yuan to hire a robot worker and then several hundred yuan each month to cover electricity and repairs. While this amounts to a big saving compared to hiring a human employee, it looks like robots aren't ready to replace us just yet.

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/04/06/restaurant_fires_incompetent_robot_staff.php

[lpbk2713]

1. Managers can't pin flair on that hard plastic shell.

[HughBeaumont]

2. "Just a matter of time!" "Not if, but when!" "Get ready to starve slowly!"

. . . . and so on and so on and so on and Trapitalism.

Some plan. Guess you need us obsolete organ carriers after all.

[bemildred]

3. Now, we will be told that the humans should help the robots. nt

[yuiyoshida]

4. come on, you wouldn't want

Robots sitting on the sidewalks begging for spare change would you?

[bemildred]

6. Robots need electricity, not spare change.

"Hey buddy, can you spare a megawatt?"

[KamaAina]

5. This appears to be a Chinese version of The Onion.

Other headlines: "Wendi Deng frolics around St Barts beach in skimpy bikini as rumors swirl about her dating Putin" and "Woman commits suicide for insurance payout to fund son's hospital treatment, doesn't realize policy has expired".

[yuiyoshida]

7. actually

its the equivalent of a real Chinese newspaper