McDonald’s pauses AI ordering at drive thrus

McDonald’s will halt its pilot project of an artificial intelligence-based ordering assistant, potentially marking a setback for technology’s takeover of everyday life.

The fast food giant will end its two-year partnership with IBM for the AI ​​system by July 26, meaning the technology will be removed from about 100 stores nationwide, industry publication reports. Restaurant business reported Friday.

“Automated Ordering Technology” developed by the IBM partnership allowed customers to speak to an AI-powered assistant instead of a real person at the drive-thru ordering window.

The company told franchisees that while the partnership with IBM ends at the end of next month, it has not closed the door on future development of AI-powered drive-thru ordering technology.

“While there has been success to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” McDonald’s executive Mason Smoot wrote in a message acquired by Restaurant Business. “IBM has given us confidence that a drive-thru voice ordering solution will be part of our restaurant’s future, and we want to sincerely thank IBM and the restaurant teams who were part of this crucial trial.”

The fast food chain told Restaurant Business that it will continue to work with IBM on other technologies for its business.

McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food chain to get involved in AI ordering. Both White Castle and Wendy’s are among the companies that have announced plans to implement automated ordering in some form. Checkers and Rally’s, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s and Dunkin have also begun developing the technology, according to Restaurant Business.

Technological development balances the desire to reduce staffing needs to save money with the need for fast, accurate service, although it is currently unclear whether the technology is good enough to replace drive-thru staff entirely. Some customers have complained that the technology cannot understand certain accents or may have difficulty discerning background noise.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story