McDonald’s scraps AI pilot after order mix-ups go viral

Fast food giant pulls plug on AI-powered voice-ordering at about 100 outlets after viral videos of order mishaps.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s has pulled the plug on its AI partnership with IBM [Rogelio V. Solis/AP]

Published On 19 Jun 2024

19 Jun 2024

McDonald’s is scrapping a trial of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ordering at select drive-through restaurants after videos of order mix-ups went viral online.

The fast food giant’s decision to retire the AI-powered voice-ordering system from about 100 outlets comes as restaurant chains rush to embrace the technology to cut back on mounting labour costs.

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McDonald’s launched the pilot in partnership with IBM at a select number of drive-through restaurants in the United States in 2021.

Trade publication Restaurant Business first reported the news on Friday.

“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Mason Smoot, the chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, said in an email cited by Restaurant Business.

“After a thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT and the technology will be shut off in all restaurants currently testing it no later than July 26, 2024.”

McDonald’s indicated that the aborted trial would not be the end of its experiments with AI, saying that “our work with IBM has given us the confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future”.

“We see tremendous opportunity in advancing our restaurant technology and will continue to evaluate long-term, scalable solutions that will help us make an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year,” the Chicago-based company said in a statement to multiple US media outlets.

While McDonald’s did not give a reason for ending the partnership, the move comes after TikTok users shared videos showing the system picking up orders from the wrong cars, multiplying orders and producing bizarre combinations of food such as ice cream with ketchup and butter.

Other major US fast-food giants, including Chipotle, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, have been rolling out AI systems amid the promise of faster workflows and lower costs.

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In April, Joe Park, the technology chief at Yum Brands, the owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, told the Wall Street Journal that the group believes an “AI-first mentality works every step of the way”.