The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Starbucks terminated an AI program that workers used for automating some inventory counts this week, nine months after deploying it across its North American stores. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the tool was part of chief executive officer Brian Niccol's efforts to fix the coffee chain's persistent product shortages that he has blamed for hurting sales. The app frequently miscounted and mislabelled items, such as confusing similar milk types or missing them altogether. "Starting today, Automated Counting will be retired," read an internal company newsletter dated Monday. "Beverage components and milk will now be counted the same way you count other inventory categories in your coffeehouse." In February, Starbucks told Reuters that adoption of the tool had improved product availability in stores -- one of Mr. Niccol's primary store-level measures of progress in his corporate turnaround campaign. In a statement to Reuters on Thursday, Starbucks also said it is working toward more frequent, daily replenishments to stores and continued supply chain improvements. "Our goal is simple -- if it's on the menu, customers should be able to order it," the company said.