The fast-food giant has discontinued its AI voice ordering service at around 100 of its restaurants after a video showing a customer making an incorrect order went viral.
McDonald's will halt a trial of an artificial intelligence (AI) ordering system in some of its drive-thru restaurants after a video of an order being mixed up went viral online.
The fast-food giant announced that after “careful consideration,” it has decided to phase out the AI-powered voice ordering system it introduced in partnership with IBM in 2021.
“IBM is a trusted partner and we continue to use many of their products across our global systems,” McDonald's said in a statement on Tuesday.
Industry publication Restaurant Business first reported the news on Friday.
McDonald's has not disclosed a reason for ending the partnership, but the move comes after TikTok users shared videos showing the system taking orders from the wrong car, doubling orders and producing strange food combinations, such as ice cream with ketchup and butter.
Still, McDonald's suggested the aborted trial wasn't the end of its experimentation with AI, saying its “work with IBM gives us confidence that our voice ordering solution is part of the AI future.” [drive-through] It's going to be part of the future of our restaurants.”
“We see significant opportunity in advancements in restaurant technology and will continue to evaluate long-term, scalable solutions that will help us make an informed decision about our future voice ordering solution by the end of the year,” the Chicago-based company said.
McDonald's decision to end its trials comes as restaurant chains are rushing to adopt AI in hopes of speeding up workflows and cutting labor costs.
Major American fast-food restaurants such as Chipotle, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut have introduced AI-assisted systems in recent years.
In April, Joe Park, head of technology at Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, told The Wall Street Journal that the company believes “an AI-first mindset works every step of the way.”
