McDonald’s has announced that it is discontinuing its AI drive-thru ordering experiment.
Having struck a partnership with IBM in 2021, the fast-food behemoth has since deployed automated voice bots to take orders at more than 100 of its American restaurants in a bid to boost efficiency.
However, in an official statement released this week, McDonald’s confirmed that the automated order-taking (AOT) tech will be removed from all restaurants by July 26, 2024.
Despite the abrupt cancelation, the hamburger aficionado seemed to suggest that it had been happy with some elements of the trial, stating that “a voice-ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future.”
“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.
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.”
So, why exactly did McDonald’s choose to end the partnership? And what will the company’s next customer service and experience steps be?
Is Some Publicity Bad Publicity?
While the fast-food provider focused on the positives during its announcement and has previously claimed that its AOT program is accurate approximately 85% of the time, the AI-powered drive-thrus have come under scrutiny thanks to a number of viral TikTok videos.
As seen in the clip below, the customer’s order was incorrect because the AOT bot picked up information from a customer at a different machine. When confronted with the error, the machine compounded the issue by adding an additional nine unwanted items, causing the customer to abandon their order.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@resinsbiren/video/7198528478533258542?embed_source=121374463%2C121433650%2C121404358%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_pause_share&refer=embed&referer_url=www.dailydot.com%2Firl%2Fmcdonalds-ai-9-sweet-teas%2F&referer_video_id=7198528478533258542[/embed]
This is just one example of several videos that have racked up tens of thousands of views. Others include an error that resulted in over $250 worth of McNuggets meals being added to an order and an AI agent that confused ice cream with ketchup and butter.
McDonald’s has not confirmed whether or not these public shortcomings were a factor in the decision to cancel the partnership, with IBM remaining bullish about the quality of its AOT technology – which it is testing with other fast-food businesses, including Wendy’s, Hardee’s, and Dunkin –commenting:
This technology is proven to have some of the most comprehensive capabilities in the industry, [it is] fast and accurate in some of the most demanding conditions.
The Next Step in the McDonald’s AI Adventure
Regardless of why McDonald’s chose to end the AOT partnership with IBM, it is clear that the company plans to continue experimenting with voice-ordering capabilities.
