Discussion

• @andonlabs @andonlabs on x

  We already have the AI run store, but we wanted to know if international borders would create friction for AIs when they run businesses autonomously. We already know that most AI models can speak Swedish, but can they operate all details of Swedish bureaucracy?

• @andonlabs @andonlabs on x

  In her first days, Mona applied for Swedish permits, interviewed and hired a human team of baristas, designed the menu, sourced local suppliers, and is now open! She's been open for 4 days and has sold for about $1000.

• @andonlabs @andonlabs on x

  We gave an AI a 3-year retail lease in SF and asked it to make a profit. The AI interviewed and hired full-time employees, applied for credit, and stocked the store with the books Superintelligence and Making of the Atomic Bomb. Visit Andon Market at 2102 Union St now. [video]

• @andonlabs @andonlabs on x

  This is a controlled experiment. Everyone working at Andon Cafe is employed by Andon Labs. No one's livelihood depends on an AI's judgment alone. Other deployments might be less controlled. As AI is integrated more widely, humans will not be able to stay in the loop.

• @andonlabs @andonlabs on x

  Like our experiment in San Francisco, Mona realized she needed humans. She posted job listings, held phone interviews and made hiring decisions. She rejected several highly educated applicants with, for example, PhD degrees because they lacked hands-on café experience. [image]

• @lschmeiser Lisa Schmeiser on bluesky

  There's an old joke about Amazon's product recommendations and how, after you buy a fan, the algorithm assumes you're now a fan collector.  Going by this story, the joke's become an actual retail strategy: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/u...