Cute or creepy? Machine in new Beijing KFC store will scan your face and tell you what you should eat

Not sure what to order? Why not have a robot decide for you?

That is the new age concept at KFC's first "artificial intelligence-enabled store" that opened in Beijing last Friday (Dec 23) with the help of Chinese search engine giant Baidu, Shanghaiist reports. 

At the store, customers can walk right in and get their faces scanned by a machine.

The scan will allow the computer to identify a diner's face, gender, age and mood.

After taking all those factors into account, it will then recommend a suitable combination of food for the customer.

According to a Baidu press release via Tech Crunch, a male customer in his early twenties might be told to order “a set meal of crispy chicken hamburger, roasted chicken wings and coke for lunch," while a female customer in her fifties might get a recommendation for “porridge and soybean milk for breakfast.”

If a customer happens to visit the location again, the face-scanning technology will be able to remember his or her face and purchase history.

Baidu claims that this will make the ordering process even faster.

Zhao Li, the general manager of Beijing KFC, agrees that while this concept is cool and all, what is most important is that it provides better convenience for customers.

Said Zhao:

"Our innovations make use of cutting-edge technologies and they will help to attract more young consumers who prefer fashionable new things.

"The digitalisation of the restaurant will also help provide faster and easier services."

Back in May, KFC opened a "futuristic" outlet in Shanghai featuring a voice-activated robot to take your order and wireless charging stations for your phone.

With now 5,000 stores in China, KFC continues to expand and push at the boundaries of customer service.