Chatbots while driving are just the beginning

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In 2021 McDonald’s It became one of the first major fast food chains To greet customers with an AI-powered chatbot while driving. It started small, rolling out voice ordering technology to 10 of its Chicago locations. McDonald’s subsequently developed drive-thru technology Get an apprenticea startup focused on voice-based conversational technology in 2019, and He later worked with IBM To expand the scope of automated ordering.

This was just the beginning of our AI driving journey. Checkers and pool Collaborated with AI company Presto To put a chatbot in all business-owned ordering in the US in 2022, with the goal of selling more food and beverages to customers and improving order accuracy. The company also said the technology will “free up employees for more people-driven areas of their business.”

Wendy’s and Taco Bell followed suit. In 2023, Wendy’s launched its “FreshAI” chatbot at one of its locations Driving in Columbus, Ohio in 2023. The company worked with Google to develop an AI chatbot trained in franchise language that understands that a “milkshake” is “Frosty” and that a “JBC” is a “mini bacon cheeseburger.” Wendy’s is starting to expand the technology Months after its launch, it said it received orders correctly without staff intervention 86 percent of the time.

Taco Bell was testing Voice AI while driving around the same time, and later announced plans to expand the technology to hundreds of locations in the US by the end of 2024. Similar to other fast food chains, Taco Bell floated the idea as a way to reduce task burden on employees and cut drive-thru wait times. Other chains have begun experimenting with the technology as well, including… Panera bread, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, panda express, and Popeyes.

By now, you’ve probably come across at least one AI chatbot at one of your local fast food chains. I spoke to a Checkers store, where someone quickly took over after I was told that one of the sandwiches I tried to order was out of stock. Even as companies continue to expand their use of AI, customers aren’t exactly impressed.

A January 2025 poll conducted by YouGov It found that 55% of Americans prefer to have a human take their order while ordering, compared to 21% who had no preference, and 4% who prefer to use an AI-powered chatbot. This generally lukewarm response may have an impact on some franchises, McDonald’s also ended its partnership with IBM in 2024. One year later, said Dane Matthews, Taco Bell’s chief digital officer. The Wall Street Journal This is it Reassess its spread of the AI ​​journey after customers expressed their frustration on social media and trolled the technology Order 18,000 cups of water. Some people suggest making Likewise outrageous Commands or speaking in a Different language Just to bypass the technology and talk to a human operator.

Customer frustration is not the only obstacle the AI ​​engine faces; Their credibility is also a problem. Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission Charged presto – The company that powers the AI ​​payment system at Checkers, Rally’s and Carl’s Jr. And Hardee’s Now, the Dairy Queen – While misleading customers about the capabilities of its technology. In 2023, an SEC filing revealed this Human workers in the Philippines I intervened in most of the requests received by Presto’s AI system.

Fast food chains are taking AI beyond just ordering food. Nevertheless The Wall Street Journal Reports While McDonald’s is giving AI-powered driving a second chance, it’s also exploring other ways to leverage the technology, including a system that predicts when its equipment will turn on (like it appears to be… The ice cream machine is always out of order) is likely to collapse. The company also uses Artificial intelligence powered scales To compare the target weight of an order versus its actual weight, then alert staff if something is missing, which may help workers remember to pack your bag with fries.

Burger King, which is conducting a limited test of AI payment, announced in February that it was beta Artificial intelligence assistantwhich is called “Patti”, and which lives inside the employees’ headphones. Workers can chat with the AI ​​assistant if they need help preparing food, for example if they forget how many slices of bacon to put on a Texas Double Whopper. Meanwhile, Patty listens to employees to evaluate their trustworthiness. This means tracking whether they say “Welcome to Burger King,” “Please,” and “Thank you.” Burger King is also using AI to notify managers when a machine is down for maintenance or if an item is out of stock, as well as to remove affected items from the digital menu board.

Taco Bell is Experience the AI-driven menu board as well. But instead of just using AI to remove items from the menu, it will use the technology to “dynamically change the design, content and visuals on a car-by-car basis,” Ranjith Roy, chief financial officer of Yum!, Taco Bell’s parent company, said during a company conference. Latest earnings call. Roy didn’t expand on this, but it sounds like it might allow Taco Bell to adjust what’s on the menu based on customers opting out.

Other uses of artificial intelligence are also gaining momentum. both of them Culver and Zaxby’s We’re working with a company called Berry AI to place camera timers while you drive to capture data about traffic flow, service execution, and more. Berry AI says its technology reduces service time during a drive by 20 to 40 percent. It looks like more fast food chains may start deploying AI technology that’s less risky than an AI chatbot at the drive-thru window, whether that’s menu changes you don’t notice, or a scale that measures your bag of food before it’s delivered to you — at least until these companies perfect their chatbot technology.