American fast food giant Taco Bell is expanding the use of artificial intelligence to take orders at hundreds of its drive-thrus.
The voice AI The system, which interprets customer orders based on voice recognition, has been in development for more than two years.
The Mexican-themed chain is already operating the system at more than 100 locations in 13 U.S. states.
Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands, which operates other chains, including kfc and Pizza Hut – says it is designed to improve order accuracy, reduce wait times and reduce staff effort.
It plans to roll out AI technology to hundreds of stores by the end of 2024, while five KFC restaurants in Australia are testing voice AI.
Hmm! Brands chief innovation officer Lawrence Kim said he is “confident in its effectiveness in streamlining operations and improving customer satisfaction.”
But voice AI hasn’t been a universal success: rival McDonald’s recently eliminated technology of more than 100 restaurants.
He received complaints from customers about orders, and some posted videos online to share their confusions.
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Examples included a dessert topped with bacon and a self-service attendant adding $211 (£166) worth of chicken nuggets to an order.
McDonald’s trial was based on a partnership with IBM and the fast food company now plans to turn to other suppliers.
Still, there is great interest in artificial intelligence according to the US-based trade body, the National Restaurant Association.
It reports that “16% of operators plan to invest in AI integration, including voice recognition, in 2024.”
Other US brands such as Wendy’s, Dunkin’ and Checkers have extensively tested AI ordering.
Meanwhile, in the UK, there is little adoption of voice AI, although Popeyes is testing the technology in a small number of drive-thrus.
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