Does AI belong at gay bars? This Phoenix spot is learning in real time
To AI or not to AI? It's a question many LGBTQ+ bar owners are asking themselves.
Mark
To AI, or not to AI — it’s a question many LGBTQ+ bar owners are asking themselves as operation costs rise, the threat of closures looms, the need for optimization increases, and artificial intelligence tools grow more and more sophisticated.
It’s not a simple answer, especially for spaces serving patrons as socially and politically engaged as the queer community, and Phoenix, Arizona watering hole Stacy’s at Melrose is figuring it out in realtime.
On January 3rd, the bar shared an Instagram post introducing its followers to MOTHR, a new tool powered by Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, which would soon be “live for performers and guests — answering questions about events, shows, drinks, and all things Stacy’s.”
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While the caption described the forthcoming sassy chatbot as “designed for our community, by us,” the Phoenix gays weren’t quite sold.
A few days (and a in-bar protest) later, the owners of Stacy’s issued a response letter, which has since disappeared from their website, addressing the swift blowback, explaining in part that, “Disagreement is fine. Making it harder for queer bars to survive isn’t.”
As co-owner Brandon Slayton told LOOKOUT, the primary purpose of MOTHR is to help staff with schedules and update the website, with eventual plans to have it function like a Frequently Asked Questions page.
“We have this ticking clock now, everybody is figuring out how to use [AI],” he explained. “[It] is going to change things so drastically that we can’t comprehend how it’s gonna change things. I’d rather be aware of it, utilizing it, riding the wave, and being comfortable with it.”
So, MOTHR is not a full-blown I, Robot case. And according to Slayton, there are no plans to develop the tool beyond a chatbot helper, a concept that has “been around for 10 years.”
“She’s gonna do what she’s doing, and whenever people ask questions she’ll answer them and we’ll see how it goes from there,” he told LOOKOUT. “It was just meant to be a tool that’s helpful.”
Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the merits of arguments from concerned LGBTQ+ visitors, who’ve cited AI’s impact on the environment as well as safety and privacy concerns based on data collected by MOTHR.
Of course, Stacy’s isn’t the only LGBTQ+ bar experimenting with AI, although it might be one of the more forthcoming businesses.
From New York City to Chicago, other queer venues have faced similar criticisms in their comment section for utilizing programs like ChatGPT to generate promotional images, social media graphics, and captions for events.
At the end of the day, owning and operating a gay bar is often tough and financially unsustainable work, even though the survival of these spaces is pivotal to the LGBTQ+ community.
But at what point does technology push a business centered on fostering IRL connections from optimization to isolation?
It’s a trend we’ll keep watching; for now, the footer of Stacy’s website proudly states it’s “Powered by MOTHR.”
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