McDonald's recently announced the termination of the AI drive-thru ordering system test project in cooperation with IBM, and will remove the technology deployed in more than 100 restaurants by July 26, 2024. This collaboration, which begins in 2021, aims to use AI technology to improve the efficiency of drive-thru services. Although McDonald's did not elaborate on the reasons for terminating the cooperation, it emphasized its confidence in its self-developed voice order-taking chatbot and plans to use it as part of its future restaurant services. This move triggered further thinking about the application prospects of AI technology in the fast food industry.
McDonald's announced the end of its AI drive-thru ordering partnership with IBM and will remove the technology tested in more than 100 restaurants by July 26, 2024. McDonald's has been testing the system in these restaurants since partnering with IBM in 2021.
Although it is unclear why McDonald's ended its cooperation with IBM, the company said it was testing whether a voice order-taking chatbot can speed up service and expressed confidence in the test results, saying that "the drive-thru voice order-taking solution will become an ideal choice for restaurants." part of the future”.
The catering industry is generally eager to introduce AI technology to improve efficiency. The White House has been testing AI technology provided by voice recognition company SoundHound, while Carls Jr., Haddish and others have used AI drive-thru chatbots powered by Filipino remote workers. Separately, McDonald's announced a deal with Google last year, part of which it said was to provide employees with a chatbot called "Ask Pickles" so they could get guidance on things like cleaning ice cream machines.
Not just limited to drive-thru areas, McDonald's is also conducting automation experiments in areas such as mobile ordering, drone delivery and kitchen robots. In addition to voice order-taking chatbots, the company has also launched mobile ordering and in-store self-ordering devices, and has tested drone delivery, kitchen robots, and the odd AI recruitment tool.
McDonald's exploration of AI technology continues. It has confidence in the voice ordering system it has developed. In the future, it may apply more AI technology to all aspects of restaurant operations to improve efficiency and customer experience. This case also reflects the complexity and challenges of applying AI technology in the fast food industry, as well as the continuous adjustments and explorations of companies in technology selection and application.