According to reporting from AP, PBS and Euronews, San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an AI agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge of the Andon Café in Stockholm. Per reporting and Andon Labs’ own blog post, the Gemini-powered agent handled tasks including securing permits, sourcing suppliers, activating a cash register, and recruiting baristas. PBS reports the cafe has taken more than $5,700 in sales since mid-April while drawing from an original budget of just over $21,000, leaving under $5,000 remaining. Customers can pick up a telephone in the cafe to speak with the agent, and visitors have reacted with amusement and curiosity. Editorial analysis: For practitioners, the experiment surfaces operational gaps, contract parsing, vendor communication, and regulatory compliance remain practical bottlenecks even when a frontier AI coordinates tasks.
