McDonald’s is ending its partnership with IBM for the development of its Automated Order Taking (AOT) system, which uses AI technology to automatically take customer orders at the drive-thru window. The decision comes after numerous mishaps and errors caused by the AI misinterpreting orders, such as adding bacon to ice cream or mistakenly charging customers hundreds of dollars for chicken nuggets. The challenges faced by the AI technology include difficulties in recognizing different accents and dialects, which affects order accuracy. While McDonald’s has not commented on the accuracy or technical challenges of the AI system, they have expressed confidence in the future of voice ordering solutions as part of their business. They will continue to evaluate long-term and scalable solutions to present a viable plan by the end of the year. IBM also stated that they will continue to collaborate with McDonald’s on other projects despite the conclusion of the current automated ordering test.
McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain exploring the use of AI in their operations. Wendy’s has partnered with Google Cloud to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot, aiming to increase service speed and allow human employees to focus on food preparation. White Castle is also working with SoundHound AI to introduce AI voice technology to over 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. Popeyes, a popular fried chicken sandwich chain, has introduced AI order-taking services in the UK, claiming a 97% accuracy rate. These initiatives are driven by the desire to improve service speed and reduce costs in the fast-food industry.