McDonald’s is pulling the plug on a trial of using artificial intelligence to take customer drive-thru orders, with the technology showing mixed results.
McDonald’s told CBS MoneyWatch it is ending its Automated Order Taker pilot, which used AI in drive-thrus to expedite orders. The fast food giant, which launched the technology in 2021 through a partnership with IBM, is not ready to use voice ordering in its restaurants just yet. Some customers reported that McDonald’s chatbot sometimes got even simple orders wrong.
“The purpose of the test was to determine if an automated voice ordering solution could simplify operations for crews and create a faster, improved experience for our fans,” a McDonald’s spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, while adding that he still “explores an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly.”
McDonald’s will continue to collaborate with IBM in other areas.
“As we move forward, our work with IBM has given us confidence that a drive-thru voice ordering solution will be part of the future of our restaurants. 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,” McDonald’s said.
Early stumbling blocks
As of December, McDonald’s had 27,000 drive-thru locations around the world. It deployed the AI technology in 100 US locations. And as with any new technology, there were mishaps that amused and sometimes frustrated customers.
For example, in early 2023, TikTok user Ren Adams shared a video documenting her experiences with McDonald’s AI ordering system.
“This morning I tried to go to McDonald’s and get my daily dose of caffeine, and some breakfast. I was going to get a hash brown, a sweet tea and a coke,” she said. “At this McDonald’s it’s all robot. We’re talking to a robot, there’s no one on speaker.”
The AI cashier accidentally added nine sweet teas to Adams’ order, she said in her TikTok video, noting that she subsequently abandoned the order.
In another video, TikTok user Madilynn Cameron filmed herself ordering water and vanilla ice cream at a McDonald’s drive-thru. The AI bot that took her order inexplicably added two sides of butter and four packets of ketchup to the order, according to an image of Cameron’s checkout screen.
“McDonald’s, I’m done,” Cameron said in the video.
McDonald’s did not comment on this or other incidents where customers reported problems using the AI bot.
Other chains embracing AI
Other fast food chains, including Chipotle, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are testing bots in their kitchens and at cash registers to save on labor costs. Chipotle has opened at least 500 digital drive-thru “Chipotlane” restaurants since 2018. It has also tested AI in kitchens with ‘Chippy’, a robotic kitchen assistant that can make tortilla chips.
Yum Brands’ Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants are also investing heavily in AI, technology chief Joe Park told the Wall Street Journal in April. “A lot of this will be automated in the future, where you don’t have to interact directly with the technology,” he told the WSJ. “You can do it through generative AI.”
