Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles introduced specialized beer-dispensing machines in 2023, but it has recently stirred mixed reactions among fans.
A video of one of the "SmartServ" stations gained attention online after being posted on X.
Notice they cut the person selling the drink but didn't cut the price of the drink to match https://t.co/L8s2C8UMd2
— samonella 🇲🇽 (@samobasq) March 29, 2026
Notably, the caption calls out the beverage prices.
"Notice they cut the person selling the drink but didn't cut the price of the drink to match," they said.
The video, captured on the Dodger Stadium concourse, shows a man scrolling through a detailed list of beer selections on the screen with prices as high as $20.25 for a single drink displayed boldly.
The automation of the otherwise simple interaction of serving or purchasing a beer is especially concerning as automated systems continue to permeate facets of everyday life.
More and more jobs — from entry-level to those requiring decades of experience — are being lost to automated systems often dominated by AI companies, such as OpenAI or Anthropic.
However, the consequences associated with automation and artificial intelligence extend beyond the immediate impact of replaced human jobs.
The systems and data centers used to run these automations require a significant amount of water and energy to properly function. Not to mention the amount of land used to build these centers, often right in the backyard of rural homeowners, impacting their quality of life via air, water, and noise pollution.
Fortunately, public opposition has not gone entirely unnoticed. Many communities have staged protests, filed petitions, and even blocked or canceled data center projects entirely.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 As for smaller-scale instances of automated systems replacing human jobs, social media users have been sure to capture and share footage, emphasizing the importance of spreading the word.
In the Reddit forum r/ABoringDystopia, the same video of the beer-dispensing machine gained similar reactions.
"Is that legal? How does it card you?" one user questioned.
Another pointed out how long it took for the machine to process an order. "A bartender can sell three [beers] in the same time," they said.
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