AI Restaurant Hostess Aims to Bring Diners Back
The Startup Studio at Irkutsk National Research Technical University (IRNITU), with students taking part, is launching a project to develop an AI-powered hostess for restaurants.
The virtual assistant will handle phone calls, book tables, and prepare personalized offers for guests.
Restaurant staff cannot always keep up with calls during peak hours, and some inquiries go unanswered. The idea behind the project is that the AI hostess will take some of the workload off employees and improve the quality of guest service.
According to Irina Samokhvalova, manager of the Startup Studio at Irkutsk National Research Technical University, a development team with experience building commercial AI products has joined the project. One of the team's previous projects attracted more than 100 customers, and the team itself received a 25% stake in the company.
The AI hostess is currently being deployed at a pilot restaurant. The studio then plans to scale the solution to other restaurants and restaurant chains.
