NEW YORK— Have you ever made a mistake with your McDonald’s order in a self-service managed by artificial intelligence? The fast food giant’s current automated ordering system experiment will soon come to an end.
McDonald’s confirmed on Monday that it has decided to end a global partnership with IBM, which has been testing this artificial intelligence technology in drive-thru at some McDonald’s since 2021.
That doesn’t mean you’ll never run into some kind of chatbot again while grabbing some fries on the way home. Although the collaboration with IBM for the automated system that McDonald’s currently uses is coming to an end, the Chicago-based company hinted that it is not ruling out other possible plans for the use of artificial intelligence in its direct drive-through service in the future. , highlighting an “opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly.”
“Our work with IBM has given us confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of the future of our restaurants,” McDonald’s said, adding that it would continue evaluations to “make an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.”
Several fast food chains have begun to explore the use of artificial intelligence in their operations in recent years, with many pointing to the possibility of maximizing speed and reducing costs.
In the United States, Wendy’s partnered with Google Cloud to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot. White Castle has partnered with SoundHound AI with the goal of bringing voice AI technology to more than 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. And a handful of Panera, Arby’s and Popeyes locations have incorporated the company’s “Tori” voice assistant. OpenCity to your order lines.
Source: AP
