An AI-Powered Robot May be the Next Coffee Critic

AI-powered robots may soon be responsible for critiquing coffee, replacing human experts.

Coffee grading is an important part of the industry, and helps determine the quality and value of coffee. According to Bloomberg, however, the days of humans conducting that task may be numbered.

Demetria is a Colombian-Israeli startup that created an AI to evaluate coffee beans. Data is collected with a handheld scanner, parameters are input and then the AI takes over. The company already has a pilot program with Carcafe, Volcafe’s Colombian division.

“It’s the human that establishes the sensorial part,” said Oswaldo Aranha Neto, a coffee industry veteran and Demetria board member. “You need to teach the robot what to do.”

Demetria’s technology will help speed up the process of evaluating coffee, and may even help farmers better grow varieties with characteristics that are in demand.