McDonald’s has decided to discontinue its trial of artificial intelligence (AI) for taking drive-thru orders, at least temporarily. The fast-food giant had been testing an AI chatbot developed in partnership with IBM across more than 100 restaurants since 2021. However, the company now plans to remove the AI technology from these locations by the end of the next month, ending its partnership with IBM for this particular project.
Despite this decision, McDonald’s remains optimistic about the potential of voice-ordering solutions and continues to see significant opportunities in advancing restaurant technology. The company stated that the work done with IBM has provided valuable insights, giving them confidence that voice-ordering could play a role in the future of their drive-thrus. McDonald’s plans to explore more scalable and long-term solutions, with a decision expected by the end of the year.
While McDonald’s is pulling the plug on this AI experiment, IBM is in discussions with other restaurant chains to potentially bring its AI technology to their drive-thru operations. The use of AI in drive-thru services is not exclusive to McDonald’s, as other fast-food chains like Hardee’s, Krystal, Wendy’s, and Dunkin’ have also been testing or using similar technology.
This move reflects McDonald’s cautious approach to implementing AI in its operations, balancing technological innovation with the need for scalable and effective solutions. The decision to explore other options indicates the company’s commitment to integrating advanced technology in a way that enhances customer experience and operational efficiency in the long term.
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