McDonald’s Ends A.I. Drive-Through Partnership with IBM After Comically Inaccurate Orders
In a move that surprised few customers who had interacted with the service, McDonald’s announced the end of its partnership with IBM to develop a drive-through order taker powered by artificial intelligence. The decision came after videos of confused and frustrated customers trying to correct comically inaccurate meals went viral on social media.
From tallying up hundreds of Chicken McNuggets to ringing up multiple iced teas instead of one, the A.I. drive-through system at McDonald’s left many customers scratching their heads. In one instance, the A.I. even thought a customer wanted to add bacon to his ice cream.
While McDonald’s is stepping back from A.I. ordering for now, other fast-food chains like Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr., and Taco John’s have found success with similar technologies. White Castle, for example, has A.I. assistants taking orders in 15 drive-throughs and plans to roll out 100 more.
Despite the challenges faced by McDonald’s, experts in the industry believe that A.I. ordering technology still has potential. Keyvan Mohajer, the CEO of SoundHound, a voice A.I. firm, believes that McDonald’s departure from IBM is simply an example of a failed partnership and that the company will likely pursue other vendors in the future.
While McDonald’s has not completely abandoned A.I. investments, the company is focusing on other technologies like its mobile app, which offers higher profit margins. Experts predict that McDonald’s will continue to explore A.I. in other ways, such as using the technology to assist employees, similar to Target’s recent announcement.
As companies continue to test their A.I. drive-through technologies, expect to see more advancements in the field. While McDonald’s may have faced challenges with its A.I. ordering system, the future of voice A.I. technology in the fast-food industry remains promising.
