[benknight87]

The value to having something like this is pretty clear but I can't reconcile it with the fact that I don't want to be using my phone at all when socializing with friends and I prefer they didn't as well.

In my opinion there is no better interface for communication than human-to-human speech. This is why butlers, waiters, and personal assistants exist, and also why natural-language AI is promising.

In my opinion we should aim to get screens out of our lives except when necessary and intentionally focused on a task (i.e. work) and maintain presence in the real world whenever we're doing anything else. This means leaning more on human language and less on screens.

[Lanolderen]

To be honest tapping my order on my phone seems much better than through a waiter or even something like a per table Alexa.

I really dislike how often communication gets cut off because multiple participants are trying to get the attention of a waiter or the topic is uncomfortable to talk about with an unknown person over your shoulder.

[lupire]

You know people at nearby tables can hear you talking at a restaurant, right?

[Lanolderen]

Yeah, but it's not like they are actively interacting with me or a friend. I assume everyone more or less automatically ignores the background noise of other tables.