McDonald’s ending its AI drive-thru test with IBM

You will no longer be able to use artificial intelligence to order your Big Mac — at least for now. McDonald’s announced it is ending its AI drive-thru test run at more than 100 of its restaurants. 

“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” said the franchisee memo from Mason Smoot, senior vice president and chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s U.S. “After thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT … IBM remains a trusted partner and we will continue to utilize many of their other products across our system.”

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

The fast food chain had partnered with IBM to create its so-called Automated Order Taker, which involves voice-activated ordering that uses AI to expedite the customer experience. However, reports said customers complained the chatbot got orders wrong and the tech had trouble interpreting accents. 

“As we move forward, our work with IBM has given us the confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future,” the company said in a statement. “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 AI drive-thru are set to be shut off by the end of July.