Does Starbucks use AI?

Yes. Starbucks scores 85/100 on the Franpulse.ai AI Adoption Index, second among the 50 systems we track. It has the strongest data infrastructure score in the entire Index (90/100), though the AI it has documented lately is narrower than its Deep Brew branding once suggested.

Starbucks is the clearest example in franchising of AI built on a data platform rather than bolted on as a feature.

What it actually runs

—Green Dot Assist, a generative-AI assistant for baristas built with Microsoft, piloted in 35 U.S. stores from June 2025 and listed among the tools Starbucks launched in fiscal 2025.

—AI inventory counting, deployed in more than 11,000 North American stores by September 2025 — and retired in May 2026.

—Deep Brew, the in-house AI platform it promoted from 2019, which has not appeared in a Starbucks filing since January 2024.

Where it leads and where it does not

Its data pillar (90) and marketing pillar (88) are the highest we record. Training AI is its weakest pillar at 76 — still strong, but the gap shows where the investment has gone.

Starbucks and McDonald's are separated by two points overall, but they got there differently: McDonald's leads on operations, Starbucks on data and personalization.

The honest caveat

Company-operated and licensed stores differ in how much of this reaches any given location. A score describes the system's capability, not a guarantee about an individual store.

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