McDonald's tried using AI to take orders at the drive-thru in over 100 of their restaurants. However, they have now decided to stop this experiment, indicating that it is difficult to implement AI in fast food operations.
This decision comes after numerous customer complaints about receiving incorrect orders, including the addition of unwanted items like nine sweet teas or an ice cream cone topped with bacon.
The Chicago-based fast-food giant had cooperated with tech giant IBM two years ago to pilot the use of AI in its drive-thru operations, to improve the speed and efficiency of the order-taking process.
However, the experiment has not lived up to expectations, leading the company to inform its franchisees in an email that the program will be shut down by July 26, 2024.
According to Mason Smoot, the chief restaurant officer for McDonald's USA, they have had some success with using AI for taking orders at the drive-thru.
However, they believe there may be better voice-ordering solutions they can explore. The company plans to continue evaluating its options and make a decision on a future voice ordering system by the end of this year.
The issues encountered during the AI drive-thru experiment were highlighted in a series of TikTok videos shared by disgruntled customers.
One user, known as "Ren," posted a video describing how the AI system added nine orders of sweet tea to her bill instead of the items she had actually ordered.
Another customer, Madilynn Cameron, showed her struggle with the AI as she tried to order a simple vanilla ice cream, only to have the system add cream packets instead.
In one particularly egregious case, a customer named Cailyn Sykora posted a TikTok video showing the AI-powered drive-thru adding more than 20 orders of a McNuggets Meal, resulting in a bill of over $222.
The experience of using AI at McDonald's drive-thru has shown that it is difficult to use this technology in real-world, fast-paced environments.
Nothing wrong with bacon on ice cream. Denny's had a promotion a few years back -- a bacon sundae -- and it was delicious! One user said.
Take out the kiosks while you're at it, the second user said.
20 years ago I tried to “add bacon to any menu item for $.50” and jack in the box refused to put bacon in my milkshake, the third user said.
Can't be any worse than what the humans do at that drive-thru. They get like 10% of orders right, another wrote.
Wait a minute…are you telling me a McDonalds has a working ice cream machine? That alone is news worthy, someone said.
Was it using Alexa?! Another asked.
I'm just curious if the employee made the bacon ice cream cone, another wrote.
However, the technology still has trouble correctly understanding and completing complicated customer orders. This has led to frustration and unhappiness from the customers.
McDonald's bought an AI company called Apprente in 2019. They also worked with IBM to try to modernize their business and stay competitive in the fast food industry.
But their experiment with using AI at the drive-thru ended early.
