Senators hope to pass a measure that would block funding of robot bartenders.
An amendment was submitted to the spending bill Tuesday by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. The purpose of the amendment is “to prohibit the use of funds for the development of beerbots or other robot bartenders.”
NOW: Sen. @JeffFlake submits amendment to minibus that would prohibit funds for development of “beerbots” or other robot bartenders pic.twitter.com/xqgnBfOJpj
— Ty Richardson (@TyrichardsonPC) August 21, 2018
It is unclear whether the amendment will pass.
Over the past few years, robots have started to appear in some bars. Robotic arms have the ability to shake, stir, and garnish drinks, making appearances in places like Las Vegas and cruise ships.
Despite the novelty of robot bartenders, experts doubt they will replace human bartenders any time soon. Two reasons are, as a recent Wall Street Journal report notes, robots would have trouble verifying someone is old enough to order a drink and deny further drinks to overly intoxicated patrons.
Still, the threat of automation to jobs is an issue of rising concern. A McKinsey Global institute study from November found that by 2030, between 400 and 800 million people around the world may have to find new jobs due to automation.
