McDonald’s Pauses Use Of AI For Ordering
McDonald’s has paused its use of AI at select drive-thrus. Looks like sometimes AI isn’t a good fit.
The fast food brand said in a statement, “Through our partnership with IBM, we have captured many learnings and feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly. After thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current global partnership with IBM on AOT beyond this year. IBM remains a trusted partner and we will still utilize many of their products across our global System.”
“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.”
McDonald’s began its AI trial in 2021. The AI drive-thru ordering has been documented via social media showing customers frustrated that the software kept making mistakes on their order. I say just hire a human to make mistakes with your order!