NEW YORK (AP) — Have you ever mixed up your McDonald’s order at an AI-powered drive-thru? The experiment behind the fast food giant’s current automated order-taking system is coming to an end.
McDonald’s confirmed Monday that it has decided to end a global partnership with IBM, which has been testing this artificial intelligence technology in some McDonald’s drive-thrus since 2021.
That’s not to say you won’t ever encounter some sort of chatbot again while picking up fries on the drive home. As the IBM partnership for McDonald’s current automated order taker test nears completion, the Chicago-based company suggested it is not ruling out other potential AI drive-thru projects at the future – highlighting “an opportunity to explore voice control solutions”. more generally.”
“Our work with IBM has given us confidence that a voice ordering solution for the drive-thru will be part of the future of our restaurants,” McDonald’s said in a prepared statement this week, adding that it would continue evaluations to “make an informed decision”. on a future voice control solution by the end of the year.
Many fast food chains have begun exploring the implementation of AI into their operations in recent years, with many highlighting opportunities to optimize speed and reduce costs.
In the United States, Wendy’s partnered with Google Cloud to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot. White Castle has partnered with SoundHound AI with the goal of bringing voice AI technology to more than 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. And a handful of Panera, Arby’s and Popeyes have integrated OpenCity’s “Tori” voice assistant into their order lanes.
Beyond America, Popeyes UK also launched its first AI-powered drive-thru (dubbed “Al”) last month, after the company said a pilot program reported 97% accuracy. .
The success of AI-based drive-thru services has been mixed. McDonald’s automated order taker with IBM has received numerous complaints in recent years, for example – many taking to social media to document the chatbot’s poor understanding of their orders.
A 2023 Tic Tac, for example, appears to show the drive-thru assistant placing order after order of McDonald’s chicken nuggets on a car’s tab, despite customers laughingly asking him to stop. Additional articles show a series of other incidents, such as the addition of strange extras, like ice cream. with ketchup and butteror collection of orders other cars nearby.
Anonymous sources familiar with technology told CNBC that the technology had difficulty interpreting different accents and dialects, among other challenges affecting command accuracy.
McDonald’s declined to comment on the accuracy of the automated order taker. In an initial statement, IBM said “this technology has proven to have some of the most comprehensive capabilities in the industry, fast and accurate under some of the most demanding conditions,” but did not immediately respond to a request for comment. additional details. potential challenges.
The Armonk, N.Y.-based technology company also said it is currently “in discussions and piloting” with several other quick-service restaurant clients interested in the automated order taker.
According to a specialist publication Catering business and CNBC, which obtained a memo sent to franchisees last week, automated ordering technology will be shut down at McDonald’s locations for testing “no later than July 26, 2024.”
IBM and McDonald’s said that while their drive-thru AI partnership ended, the two would continue their relationship on other projects. McDonalds said it still plans to use many IBM products in its global system.
In December, McDonald’s launched a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud. In addition to moving restaurant calculations from servers to the cloud, the partnership also aims to apply generative AI “to a number of key business priorities” in restaurants around the world.
News Source : apnews.com
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