We've always had some in our busiest boarding areas (well, for a few years anyway), even before the ITM's change to reprint boarding passes for customers who are already checked in. There are a couple of ways you can end up on the sterile side of security without being checked in for your AS or QX flight (interline connections, etc...). There aren't that many of them, but having a few scattered around is a good way to let folks check themselves in without having to track down an agent.

Eventually you'll see lots more of them as we begin using them to let customers check themselves back in after an irregular ops situation (flight canceled, delayed, etc...). After doing some fancy stuff in the back, customers would be able to walk up to a bank of kiosks near the gate and get their new boarding passes, appropriate compensation vouchers (meals, or whatever it is), etc...

Don't get excited - we're not there yet... just something we're working towards.

-ASTechGuy