McDonald's ends AI drive-thru orders — for now
CBSN
McDonald's is pulling the plug on a test that deployed artificial intelligence to take drive-thru customer orders, with the technology showing mixed results.
McDonald's told CBS MoneyWatch that it is ending its Automated Order Taker pilot, which used AI in drive-thrus to expedite orders. The fast-food giant, which launched the tech through a partnership with IBM in 2021, isn't ready for now to deploy voice ordering across its restaurants. Some customers reported that McDonald's chatbot sometimes got even simple orders wrong.
"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," a McDonald's spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, while adding it still sees "an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly."
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