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McDonald’s is already ditching the use of AI at its Drive-Thru windows just four months after rolling it out.
The fast food giant revealed the new technology in February and diners quickly complained about its repeated screw-ups.
McDonald’s executives hoped that the technology would speed up the drive-thru experience (and, let’s face it, eliminate employees and save the company money).
Instead, reports suggest that AI did exactly the opposite.
Shocking, we know!
“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” McDonald’s executive Mason Smoot said in an email obtained by trade publication Restaurant Business.
That sounds like a business-speak way of saying “yeah, that was a bad idea.”
McDonald’s Use Of AI At Drive-Thru Windows Was A Collasal Failure
Not only did AI not speed up the process. But it also routinely made mistakes leading to customers being overcharged and receiving the wrong order.
And look, don’t get me wrong, I know that customers get the wrong order all the time with human beings at work. After all, I’m a Popeye’s loyalist.
But at least you can correct the human beings. The robots are screwing up and if you dare to tell them, you may live to regret that decision at some point down the line.
“The goal of the test was to determine if an automated voice ordering solution could simplify operations for crew and create a faster, improved experience for our fans,” McDonald’s said in a statement to Fortune.
The company hasn’t completely closed the door on AI, however.
“Through our partnership with IBM, we have captured many learnings and feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly. … As we move forward, our work with IBM has given us the confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future. 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 on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.”
Let’s see how that works out for them!