Melbourne cafe owners to replace baristas with automated milk steaming machines

Sky News host Paul Murray says Melbourne cafe owners decided to get rid of baristas by installing automated milk steaming machines.
“Melbourne is known for its coffee culture, the only problem is who can afford six dollars or more for a latte these days,” Mr Murray said.
“So, cafe owners across the city have decided to get rid of baristas and replace them with automated milk steaming machines.”

[@darkstars-torpedoes-of-truth]

Well, there goes all the gender studies and arts student jobs.

[@random2829]

My thought also! They spent THOUSANDS of dollars on an "education" and now can't even compete against a simple machine for a minimum-wage job.

[@Martin_Priesthood]

🙊🤣🤣🤣

[@user-yj4pv6nx3s]

Lol 😂😂😂 sadly so true.

[@twowheelsandcroissant]

​@@random2829 i guess life is a choice.. not everything is fair..

[@mistersmacky]

How will they pay for their nose rings and green/blue/purple hair dye now?

[@drdoug007]

Cheaper coffee, but your tax will go up to pay for the people out of work.

[@random2829]

Except it won't result in a cost reduction in the coffee as the "savings" goes toward the purchase of another "machine". I am not defending their position on automation - that should be the result of a Cost Benefit Analysis - but there is ALWAYS another "cost".

[@mrbrisvegas2]

@@random2829 Baristas are earning $70K+. A top of the range automated commercial coffee machine costs $10K. A local cafe has one person and two machines doing the work of 3-4 baristas. The payback time is measured in weeks.

[@random2829]

@@mrbrisvegas2 Ouch! No wonder the shops were so quick to do a Cost Benefit Analysis! That was almost a "no brainer". To be honest, I have never used the services of a "barista" as I only drink plain, black coffee - so I had no idea of their "worth". Thanks for enlightening me! 😀

[@amcconnell6730]

Robots came for the factory line worker, then for the checkout operators and now for the coffee servers.

[@veganath]

Eventually all of our jobs will be gone given the trajectory of development of AI directed robotics system. This should be something to celebrate a world of cheap & abundant products & services and the end of the threat to ALL beautiful humans of denial of access to the necessities of life.. I'm optimistic, but we will need a new socioeconomic model, none of the historical 'isms' are relevant in our historically unprecedented science & AI directed technology

[@amcconnell6730]

@@veganath Humans shouldn't have spent all that time kicking them to see if they'd fall over.

[@mybrotherkeeper1484]

“New Age cafes getting rid of barristers!” - Hilarious fail-I’m writing this as he’s stealing my thunder!!

[@majorlaff8682]

New Age coffee, $5 for a cup of sludge. New Age barrister, $500 for a cup of slander.

[@ACDZ123]

Melbourne wont have restaurants to cook with gas soon. What a clown show that place is

[@Consumer11]

If there are any left and don’t close down

[@yodaandthebike5839]

I spent 4 weeks in France last year, drank a lot of coffee, none of which was made by a Barista. Every cup came from an automatic coffee maker.

[@englishstark6100]

First trip to Paris in many a year went to have breakfast Coffee from a machine said to the Staff Paris has fallen and they agreed with me.

[@BatteryCommander]

How soulless...

[@coala1980]

Bad coffee and service is what you get in most of France and most of Europe nowadays is a tourist thing. I live in Austria and there is plenty of good coffee if you know where to.

[@kevindavis3455]

Oops! 😉 The law of unintended consequences. Keep voting left, baristas!

[@damo7228]

I cant wait for AI to replace Sky News presenters.

[@FlakyBrows]

​@@damo7228especially these two...

[@hatefuleightyseven2962]

Damn, those baristas must be pretty steamed.

[@BwahBwah]

They must be brewing up some strong opinions then...

[@dominictucci6030]

​@@BwahBwahyes , they'll be frothing at the mouth with a bitter taste in their mouths!

[@morganlefey]

we must resist these anti-human robot machines

[@noneyabizz8337]

The ones we have in the states are either lazy or weirdos...

[@David_Beames]

Like self-checkout at the supermarket?

[@HyperVaccinated]

@@David_Beames I always use the self checkouts as it sickens me seeing a over paid worker slacking off and taking their time.

[@raptordan6851]

The direct effects of raising minimum wage

[@veganath]

@JB-el3mo you should check out "Future By Design'

[@frostedsleet3124]

The whole experience is watching the coffee being made. Sad we are eliminating the human touch.

[@veganath]

Actually I would contend we are eliminating the last vestiges of slavery....

[@AnointedSpirit]

That joke fell flat

[@rainmaker2-488]

Honestly 😂

[@birgittabirgersdatter8082]

Are those automatic milk steaming machines going to have dyed hair and nose rings?

[@lispyDribbler]

And black fingernails.

[@lispyDribbler]

Then they'll install automated checkouts that only take cards.

[@tikkabrno]

About time. Nothing worse than waiting ages for a bloody over priced flavourless coffee...

[@davinsustak4398]

And they're mostly rude alot of them...

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

I don't like milk based coffee. Try ordering a coffee with just a dash of milk. It confuses the hell out of most cafe staff. They usually give me a long black and a small jug of milk. Apparently pouring milk into a cup is too difficult for them.

[@BigBopper-zm1kf]

Well all these peanuts 🥜 voted for Labor or Greens. Now the rooster 🐓 is coming home 🏡 😅😅😅😅

[@rinzler9775]

I bet they will be like the McDonalds ice cream machines tied to a contractor, and paying exorbitant maintainance costs.

[@joanneruss7721]

I make the best coffee at home and it’s the cheapest coffee😂❤️🇺🇸

[@ssuwandi3240]

Why? GenZ loves barista's meet and greet. Otherwise it would be a plain Library

[@deathbysalt2382]

Bought a coffee machine, never looked back and I don’t buy coffee anymore. It’s fun to make, and it’s made for my taste

[@rozbailey6889]

Just more people out of work.

[@glenwillson5073]

There goes Australia's reputation for great coffee.

[@tonyhanley9458]

Boycott them all. It’s getting that=way that NOONE is gonna have jobs.

[@Dino-63]

Alphabet people it’s amazing how much money they waist on this crap

[@RWB20]

So, no more spit and 💩 in the fast food around the world? And it's cheaper? Darn.😂

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

I can get very good machine coffee at my local petrol station for $1 a cup. Why would I go to their cafe and pay $6?

[@dominictucci6030]

It's about the Cafe ambience the atmosphere, the socialing. Not everyone wants to stay socially isolated in front of bloody screens!

[@dominictucci6030]

It's about the Cafe ambience , atmosphere and social connectivity, not about the price of a coffee! Not everyone wants to be socially isolated at home staring at a bloody screen!

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

@@dominictucci6030 : All those sad little people who can't stand their own company. Your life must be sad if all you can think to do at home is stare at a screen.

[@daynakennedy8969]

I worked as a barista by myself at the only coffee house that stayed open during C0vid…defying the county health department…we fought non stop with them…it was awesome!!

[@raveninthedesert6726]

Basic Living Income is coming. They are trying to figure out on how much to give each month.

[@3pl535]

Yes, there's no other way. The era of 'earning your way' is not feasible in this world anymore. Automation will replace most jobs on the planet, which means people will not be able to 'earn' a living. There has to be a universal basic income to allow people to survive.

[@RumperTumskin]

My office already has a coffee machine, so presumably it wouldn't be worth going out anymore?

[@meredithisme3752]

I don't see the problem but then again I don't buy coffee from those places I make my own

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

One problem is that I can buy a cup of machine coffee for $1 at my local service station. Why would I go to a cafe and pay $6 for the same thing.

[@tonypepperoni3679]

I used to buy coffee when I was out and about, now it's just unaffordable so I stick to my instant home crap.

[@Consumer11]

@@sidecarmisanthrope5927best comment here 👏

[@dominictucci6030]

People like to frequent cafes for the atmosphere and social connection with friends or by themselves to people watch and enjoy atmosphere. It's not about the price of a cup of coffee. The people who complain about the price of a coffee probably don't think twice about the $200 to $300 dollars a week they spend of cigarettes , alcohol and gambling!

[@ohjesswhatamess]

Not all baristas are created equal and can make or break a cafe. I don’t think replacing humans with machines will keep the Melbourne coffee culture alive. They won’t pass on the savings to consumers and there will be no reason to go to the cafe over the gas station for coffee. Depending on the machine, the coffee isn’t always consistently good and comes out watery due to it flushing out tubes whilst making your coffee to maintain itself. Something a barista does after making a coffee and not during and into the same cup.

[@philiprachtman1217]

I go through the self serve checkout and tell the staff member I am a bit deaf and cannot hear the beep which causes me to mis scan so they need to scan my trolley

[@richardlee6781]

The interaction with the barista is probably the largest part of why I go to these places. It’s part of my daily escape.

[@birgittabirgersdatter8082]

Get some friends.

[@yogibbear]

Are they not just signing up to a subscription to the company that sells the milk foaming machine that needs to be maintained and serviced and supplied by that company?

[@daynakennedy8969]

I thought it was just spelled odd…cause y’all speak with this crazy Ozzy accent 😂😆🤣

[@Martin_Priesthood]

Soon there will be nobody at the restaurants

[@simplesimon5739]

Good idea. You wait for ages in a coffee shop selling overrated product.

[@David_Beames]

Why do you do that? Make your own.

[@pbier6507]

It's Danistan!!!

[@ACDZ123]

2 American coffe snobs that are travelling around Australia said the best coffee they had was in Perth, not Melbourne..and they are barristers by trade 😀 their channel is called one pack wonders and it was a few episodes back when they were in Geraldton i think

[@darrenashley126]

I rarely buy coffee. I have my own machine, but, part of getting a coffee is the interaction and the government wonders why people can't afford to pay their bills? work is getting harder to find.

[@stevem4105]

there will still be someone behind the till on minimum wage, the machine replaces the person that pours the coffee which is apparently a 'skilled' job why are we pretending that that person actually does something useful that my coffee machine doesn't already do for free ffs

[@secondchance6603]

'Barista' LMAO, someone that makes a cup of coffee from a machine.

[@jayhorton4088]

No jobs no customers

[@omgitsabloodyandroid5161]

Try PAYING for a headline writer, NOT a FREE Intern OK👍🇦🇺

[@HyperVaccinated]

That is good as robots are far cheaper to maintain than greedy workers always demanding a raise and not putting in the extra work to make up for it.

[@random2829]

The "smart" people would see this automation trend and begin looking into careers that support the installation and maintenance of these machines.

[@nomyafiftyonefifty8081]

Yeah sure the proces wil drop. Maybe in the short term before they sneak them back up again. How about not being lazy and make your own.

[@aaronfarley14]

And people wonder why the younger generation don’t have the social skills from customer service and relating with customers in person???

[@emdee8840]

The dude who felt compelled to cut into the news story for his "hilarious" joke, was a total misfire. Bad read on the room, guy.

[@onlyone2948]

It is no surprise. I will not be surprised to see robots telling the news one day.

[@kevinquinn7645]

Perhaps the unemployed baristas can throw their wooden clogs into the automated milk frothing machines.

[@AndrewCarthy]

This will be a bonus as I don’t have to look at people with nose rings and face piercings.

[@emdee8840]

A barista has always been a pretentious appellation for a cafe worker. I'm all for machine coffee. Bring back true artisanal apprentices and classical arts. Then there will be plenty of work for people and they can follow their muse and maybe do something they like or are inspired to do.

[@justinwolff1416]

AI Talking Head News Reporters, coming to a screen near you... 😳

[@camagnuson6108]

and YOU are footing the cost of the welfare.... I would PREFER that people WORK for their $$ instead of collecting welfare. IMO

[@birgittabirgersdatter8082]

Yes, but if coffee is getting expensive people will cut back on buying coffee, which will also result in fewer people employed. Cafe owners are automating in order to stay in business and at least keep a few people employed.

[@hollysmith1347]

This won't stop at coffee shops. When all these "smaller" jobs are gone. Teens and young adults won't be able to gain work experience. ​@@birgittabirgersdatter8082

[@Everything_Comes_And_Goes]

The Latte Debate

[@JP-ry9ob]

Who cares,get yourself a good coffee machine for your home and take a cup of coffee into work like I do. The cafe stores coffee is very hit and miss these days,rare to find a place that consistency produces a good cup.

[@jamesbarca7229]

What are all of the people with gender studies degrees going to do for a living now?

[@vagiffaradjev1873]

Slowly human reality becomes "i, robot" movie.

[@annel5511]

The WEF has what to do with people with no jobs for excess people, video games and drugs

[@nickrubertone3497]

Prices won’t go down for us, corporate profits will go up

[@manonymous4737]

Good, maybe they’ll make the coffee hot for a change

[@nschlaak]

Is this the cost of a living wage in Australia like it is in the USA? Fast-food places in California are closing by the hundred because of the exorbitant minimum wage costs.

[@user-dv9ur7su2v]

Be real here, coffee prices won't go down. Peoples jobs will.

[@barito7]

Better put up the 7-11 sign otherwise the ACCC will go after these shameless cafes. The main issue here is that Barristers now have no job to go to after AI replaced them.

[@paolocardinali3951]

just import Italian baristas... better, quicker coffee and no cappuccino after 11 am 😂

[@bobojerry1798]

if I must buy a coffee made by an automatic machine, then I might as well just buy it from 7-Eleven for $2.

[@mrgray3608]

A machine will get a more consistent temperature/result over a person?!

[@Beeannks]

At least the coffee will be made properly each time and won’t have to wait 20 minutes for a takeaway coffee. Nothing worse the a kid making the coffee that doesn’t care and overheats the milk and burns the coffee shots.

[@markdoolan7282]

So they should too. As an electrical tradesman who works in process automation there is absolutely nothing a machine cannot do when it comes to making a simple coffee compared to a human. It’s all a wank that a barista is better. Just like hand shaping surfboards. For years hand shapers sold computer made surfboards and nobody ever noticed the difference. Get those nancy baristas in a coal mine or the military where we need them.

[@danielduivenvoorden9399]

Can you talk to an automated milk mechanism ???

[@user-gw7dv1ru9w]

WHAT A WASTE OF BRAIN TIME..

[@edmurks236]

They can deliver Pizza and take away food.

[@Harien-fs6gn]

Do those machines able to create art coffee too? 🤭

[@anth5189]

Boycott them. BS. We all know the Coffee will NOT be cheaper.

[@Robba75]

Make your own coffee and food it’s not necessary to buy fast everyday

[@MERCURYSUNSET]

0:33 ......This is quite possibly the lowest point in televised history ... It should have been edited out .

[@GR888T]

I don’t know of any company who cuts out the most expensive component of service and pass the savings onto the customer. Just look at publishers. The cost of materials/Distribution etc of books is large, yet to buy a digital copy it’s pretty much the same cost as a tangible book. Oh, and let’s not forgot the banks with their ‘use an ATM it’s so much cheaper’. Yeah, right!😂

[@wademay6807]

But what will all those with (insert any word here) Studies degrees do now?

[@purebloodnordicroamer7955]

Real coffee lovers drink long black.

[@annel5511]

I feel sorry for people but not for an AH like DMS who moved to Melbourne to sell his stupid finger paintings as a 40 yr old barista

[@taiyah_byron]

If the Italians (in Italy not Lygon street) can sell coffee for €2 then it's ridiculous that Aussies are paying $6 - 8. All because of these called "art". What a gimic.

[@tonyhanley9458]

Long black is a real coffee

[@rhyno1740]

Glad i don't drink coffee.

[@jasonmarkson3773]

Is this show called the LATTE Debate?

[@brendamorrison8453]

Taking away jobs, good on ya! They'd keep the coffe at the same price

[@greg3095]

I love Sky but she shits me to tears and I cant handle her

[@marsbearmcw3050]

I’m not sure what makes you think that someone qualified in gender studies can make coffee. I’m sure it’d have to be under the thumb of the patriarchy or some shit.

[@rhyno1740]

Slowly but surely the human race is being replaced by AI, and robots.

[@politenessman3901]

will the milk steamers still be pretentious?

[@rabidsminions2079]

Workplaces have been getting more efficient but the productivity gains rarely flow back to the worker who made the gains possible you just end up getting more work to do being paid by the hour. Likewise the business will see this as an initiative of their doing so they will see it as part of productivity gains which enables higher profits through lower cost of doing business.

[@paulgraham5790]

When the promise of higher productivity for higher wages means you don't have a job at all. To add, if productivity was improved and you still had a job you would be on the same money and your employer would pocket the extra revenue 99% of the time.

[@kevinwhite5827]

Now I go to a coffee shop and have to work and pay to get it? Just like Walmart, Lowe’s, and everywhere else. You work to get paid just to work to get your coffee.

[@vivienslennett7197]

Automated / AI is coming for so many jobs

[@stevem4105]

this is a non issue. there will still be someone behind the till on minimum wage, the machine replaces the person that pours the coffee which is apparently a 'skilled' job why are we pretending that person actually does something useful that my coffee machine doesn't already do for free ffs

[@richardtravers8772]

Looks like Sky News Australia is trying to beat US MNSBC as the most useless show on TV

[@DanielleLetall]

Barristers? LoL...work experience guy on again?

[@stutubeonyoutube5270]

I object to that flat white, your honour !!

[@stutubeonyoutube5270]

And further to that, your honour . I request that my client be released and declared a friand man !!

[@jeriannmahnich]

🤣😂🤣 Y’all’re so funny!! ☕️🤎

[@crisg1207]

❤

[@calmblueocean7243]

NO WAY! 😳 More jobs disappearing. Do you really think you'll now pay less for your coffees? I think not.

[@hollysmith1347]

Less jobs. Self serve registers didn't make groceries cheaper, menu machines at fast food didn't make the food cheaper, this won't make it cheaper. These smaller jobs gives work experience. This makes it harder for teens/young people to gain work experience. I've been saying a universal income will have to happen once too much A.I takes jobs or over certain industries. That or conflict and unrest.

[@sidecarmisanthrope5927]

Yes there will be fewer jobs and fewer cafes. I can get a machine made coffee at the local service station for $1. Why would I go to a cafe and pay $6 for exactly the same thing? This will bite them on the arse.

[@SageBison1]

The longer inflation runs and the higher minimum wage rises, the faster automation will be introduced to every workplace.