McDonald's Halts AI Ordering in Drive-Thrus Temporarily

McDonald's has decided to pause its AI-driven ordering technology that was being tested in over 100 drive-thru locations across the United States. This move may signal a setback in the fast-food industry's rapid adoption of AI technology.

The fast-food giant had collaborated with IBM to create and test a voice-automated ordering system in some of its restaurants. Despite the halt, McDonald's remains committed to exploring AI solutions, even as competitors make significant investments in similar technologies.

McDonald's plans to discontinue the AI ordering system in the test restaurants by July 26, 2024, as reported by Restaurant Business. Although IBM will continue to be a partner for McDonald's in other capacities, the company is open to exploring AI partnerships beyond IBM.

Launched in 2021 under the “Accelerating the Arches” growth strategy, the AI-powered Automated Order Taking (AOT) technology aimed to streamline and enhance the customer ordering experience. IBM touted the system as one of the most advanced in the industry, capable of operating efficiently under challenging conditions.

While McDonald's reassesses its approach to AOT, it remains optimistic about AI's future role in restaurant automation and efficiency. David Henkes from Technomic highlights that although AI has potential, current limitations are evident through McDonald's experiences.

Other fast-food chains are also experimenting with AI. White Castle started testing automated drive-thru systems in 2021, and Wendy's expanded its AI ordering capabilities with Google Cloud in 2022. However, AI technologies face hurdles such as difficulty in recognizing accents and differentiating voices from background noise, leading to order inaccuracies.