AI Causes Chaos in McDonald’s Automated Ordering System
McDonald’s, the fast-food giant, has been collaborating with IBM since 2021 to develop Automated Order Taking (AOT) technology. The AOT system, which utilizes voice recognition software, has been tested at over 100 McDonald’s locations in the United States. However, it has resulted in several comical mishaps, as the AI occasionally misinterprets orders, resulting in bizarre combinations such as bacon added to ice cream and incorrect orders totaling hundreds of dollars. As a result, McDonald’s has decided to end its partnership with IBM and announced that the AI ordering system will be taken down by the end of July.
One of the challenges faced by the AI technology is its difficulty in recognizing different accents and dialects, which affects the accuracy of the orders. However, McDonald’s has refused to comment on the accuracy of the AI or the technical challenges it faces, while IBM has not immediately responded to comments regarding the tool’s accuracy.
Although the current automated ordering test with IBM is coming to an end, McDonald’s is not completely abandoning the AI AOT project. In a statement issued on June 17th, McDonald’s stated, “Our collaboration with IBM has given us confidence that voice ordering solutions like AOT will be a part of McDonald’s future.” They will continue to evaluate long-term and scalable solutions in order to present a viable plan by the end of the year. IBM also stated that despite the conclusion of this test, they will continue to collaborate with McDonald’s on other projects.
McDonald’s introduction of AI automated ordering has resulted in various erroneous orders.
Image: Shutterstock
Wendy’s and Popeyes also introduce AI cashiers to improve service speed and reduce costs
McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain attempting to introduce AI ordering systems. In recent years, many fast-food chains have been exploring the potential of AI in order to maximize service speed and reduce costs.
Wendy’s has collaborated with Google Cloud this year to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot, with the goal of increasing service speed and allowing human employees to focus on meal preparation. US-based fast-food restaurant White Castle has also partnered with SoundHound AI, with the aim of introducing AI voice technology to over 100 restaurants by the end of 2024. Additionally, popular fried chicken sandwich chain Popeyes has launched AI AOT services in the UK, claiming an accuracy rate of 97%.
Wendy’s has also introduced AI with its collaboration with Google Cloud to develop the “Wendy’s FreshAI” chatbot.
Image: Wendy’s
Sources: BBC, APnews, CNBC
This article was initially generated by AI and edited by Rouwei Su.
Read more at: https://www.digitimes.com.tw/tech/apple/20210707/0000058955.shtml