McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) is wrapping up its trial run of AI-powered drive-thrus in partnership with IBM. The fast food giant’s experiment with automated order taking is set to conclude soon.
Confirming the decision on Monday, McDonald’s announced the end of its global collaboration with IBM, which had been testing AI technology at select drive-thru locations since late 2021.
While this marks the end of the current AI-driven order taking, McDonald’s hinted at potential future AI drive-thru plans, particularly exploring voice ordering solutions more broadly.
“Our work with IBM has given us confidence that voice ordering will be part of our future drive-thru experience,” McDonald’s stated, adding that it will continue evaluations to decide on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.
In recent years, various fast food chains have been exploring AI integration to enhance speed and efficiency while reducing costs. Wendy’s, for instance, collaborated with Google Cloud to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot, while White Castle partnered with SoundHound AI to introduce voice-powered AI technology in over 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. Additionally, Panera, Arby’s, and Popeyes have integrated OpenCity’s “Tori” voice assistant in some locations.
While AI-powered drive-thrus have shown promise, McDonald’s automated order taker faced criticism, with many customers complaining about order inaccuracies. Challenges such as difficulty in interpreting accents and dialects affected the chatbot’s performance.
IBM, however, stated that their technology has proven to be accurate and fast, even under demanding conditions. The tech company also mentioned ongoing discussions and pilots with other quick-serve restaurant clients interested in similar automated order technology.
According to reports, McDonald’s will deactivate the automated order technology in test locations by July 26, 2024. Despite ending their AI drive-thru partnership, McDonald’s and IBM plan to continue their collaboration on other projects, with McDonald’s indicating its continued use of IBM products across its global system.
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