McDonald’s drops AI pilot after order mix-up goes viral | food

Fast food giant shuts down AI-powered voice ordering at about 100 outlets after viral videos of ordering mishaps.

McDonald’s is canceling a test of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ordering at select drive-through restaurants after videos of order mix-ups went viral online.

The fast food giant’s decision to withdraw its AI-powered voice ordering system from around 100 outlets comes as restaurant chains rush to adopt technology to reduce rising labor costs.

McDonald’s launched the pilot in partnership with IBM at a select number of drive-through restaurants in the United States in 2021.

Trade publication Restaurant Business first reported the news on Friday.

“While there has been success to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” said Mason Smoot, director of U.S. restaurants for McDonald’s, in an email cited by Restaurant Business.

“After careful consideration, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT and the technology will be turned off in all restaurants currently testing it by July 26, 2024.”

McDonald’s indicated that the aborted trial would not be the end of its AI experiments, saying that “our work with IBM has given us confidence that a drive-thru voice ordering solution will be part of the future of our restaurants ”.

“We see tremendous opportunity in advancing our restaurant technology and will continue to evaluate long-term, scalable solutions that will help us make an informed decision about a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year,” the company said with Chicago headquarters in a statement to several U.S. media outlets.

While McDonald’s didn’t give a reason for ending the partnership, the move comes after TikTok users shared videos showing the system picking up orders from the wrong cars, multiplying orders and producing bizarre food combinations, like ice cream with ketchup and butter.

Other major US fast-food giants, including Chipotle, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, have been rolling out AI systems amid the promise of faster workflows and lower costs.

In April, Joe Park, chief technology officer at Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, told the Wall Street Journal that the group believes an “AI-first mindset works every step of the way.”