u/illhave_it

I like the grab-and-go style of a lot of AI vending machines, and I like that they can allow you to track inventory remotely. I just have this ethical concern about how the data centers affect the environment. I know not everyone will share that type of concern, no shade to those people.
I'm basically wondering if there are certain vending machines that would have a lower impact than others. From what I've learned so far, it seems like maybe the machines that don't upload to the cloud would have less impact, as would machines that process video locally instead of sending it to a remote data center.

Does anyone know of any smart machines like this?
I'd appreciate any info I can get.

I like the grab-and-go style of a lot of AI vending machines, and I like that they can allow you to track inventory remotely. I just have this ethical concern about how the data centers affect the environment. I know not everyone will share that type of concern, no shade to those people.
I'm basically wondering if there are certain vending machines that would have a lower impact than others. From what I've learned so far, it seems like maybe the machines that don't upload to the cloud would have less impact, as would machines that process video locally instead of sending it to a remote data center.

Does anyone know of any smart machines like this?
I'd appreciate any info I can get.

The outpatient mental health clinic I work in is inside a building with 2 or 3 other medical offices. I know there's at least a chiropractic clinic and a primary care clinic in the building. There's no vending machine and a lot of the providers (me included) don't have much time for lunch. I think it would be a good location for my first vending machine.

I haven't reached out to the location yet to see if they're interested. My question is: do you think the fact that I work in the building will complicate their decision? And if so, any advice for broaching that topic?

I'd also be interested to hear any thoughts on whether the location sounds promising. Or thoughts on inventory.