Report: McDonald’s Scrapping Drive-Thru AI Test at 100 Locations

McDonald's drive-thru
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Amy Furr

Fast food restaurant McDonald’s is reportedly ending the test of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the eatery’s drive-thru lanes.

The test of its automated order taking (AOT) has been ongoing for the past two years while working with IBM, Restaurant Business reported on Friday.

Now, the fast food company is apparently going to remove the technology from where it was being tested at over 100 outlets.

The article continued:

The Chicago-based fast-food giant is ending this test without any sort of expansion, according to an email sent to franchisees on Thursday. Restaurant Business has obtained a copy of that email.

But the company did not dismiss the prospect of drive-thru AI, suggesting that McDonald’s plans to find a new partner for its automated order taking efforts.

“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, said in the system message. “After a thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT and the technology will be shut off in all restaurants currently testing it no later than July 26, 2024.”

McDonald’s had been planning to join forces with Google to use generative AI technologies to deliver “hotter, fresher food,” Breitbart News reported in December.

“Inevitably, as with every product involving Google, data collected and analyzed by the system will likely be used by the company to generate profits in different ways,” the outlet said.

Fast food restaurant Wendy’s began implementing AI powered by Google in its drive-thru lanes in December, per Breitbart News.

“This strategic move by Wendy’s comes amidst a broader industry trend towards AI adoption. Competitors like McDonald’s and smaller chains such as Checkers, Krystal, White Castle, Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., and Dunkin’ are also exploring or implementing similar technologies,” the report stated.

It is also important to note that burger-flipping robots have been changing the food service industry by offering their services for approximately $3 an hour, which is much less than a minimum-wage worker would be paid, a Breitbart News article from 2020 read.

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