McDonald’s, the world’s largest burger chain, has decided to end its trial with artificial intelligence (AI) systems in more than 100 locations in the United States. The initiative, which began in 2021 as part of an agreement with IBM, included AI chatbots that responded to customer requests in the drive thrus. The company informed its franchises that this technology will cease to be operational from July 26, as published by Restaurant Business.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of the future of our restaurants”. However, no specific public reason was given for the test’s termination. McDonald’s said it will decide its final plans for automated ordering later this year.
The fast food industry has shown increasing interest in integrating AI technologies into its systems over the past few years. In addition to McDonald’s, other chains such as Wendy’s, Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr and Del Taco have also experimented with AI in their drive thrus. Yum Brands, owner of Taco Bell and KFC, stated earlier this year that it is adopting an “AI-first mindset” for its fast-food restaurant operations.
The rush to implement AI technology has intensified due to various factors. One of the most notable is the search for methods to reduce rising labor costs. Following the passage of a new mandatory minimum wage law for fast food workers in California, numerous companies have accelerated the adoption of AI to replace human tasks, such as processing customer orders.
Although AI has been touted as the future of the industry, Its implementation is not without problems. Some viral videos have shown errors in orders placed by AI systems at McDonald’s. Last year, several videos on TikTok showed the system adding unrequested items like packets of butter or doubling ordered quantities. In one of these videos, two women are seen laughing uncontrollably as the system adds hundreds of dollars worth of McNuggets to their account.
In addition to flaws in order interpretation, automated systems have been criticized for being overly reliant on outsourced human labor. Presto Automation Inc, a company that provides AI services for fast food chains, revealed in an SEC filing that it employs workers in countries such as the Philippines to assist in customer interactions approximately 70% of the time.
Beyond orders drive thru, some companies are exploring other potential uses for generative AI. For example, digital chatbots are being developed for mobile applications and using image recognition to calculate wait times. McDonald’s struck a deal with Google in December last year to create a chatbot called “Ask Pickles” that could train employees on operational topics such as cleaning restaurant equipment.
