China’s premier metropolis has a vision for the future of dining – and it is one involving restaurants run by artificial intelligence, with automated kitchens, robot servers, data-driven menus and intelligent supply chains.
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The spread of automation in the catering sector has become a hot-button issue in China over recent months, but Shanghai appears committed to charging ahead with a plan to transform local eateries using smart technology.
The city has set a target of becoming a “nationally leading, world-class” hub for smart restaurants by 2028 as part of a plan that analysts say could trigger a major shake-up in China’s vast food service sector: reshaping how meals are made and transforming the labour market.
The action plan, released on Tuesday by Shanghai’s commerce commission and four other municipal bureaus, aims to push catering businesses across the city to overhaul their operations using new technologies over the next three years.
“Across group dining, fast-food and drink chains, over 70 per cent of operations will incorporate smart technologies throughout their value chains, while the rate of intelligent application in key operations at full-service restaurants will exceed 50 per cent,” the document stated.
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Shanghai would also create a number of smart central kitchens, set up three to five “AI + dining” pilot projects, and nurture several leading smart solution providers for the catering industry, it added.