McDonald's Cancels AI Drive-Thru Test with IBM

McDonald's Ends AI Drive-Thru Test

McDonald's, in partnership with IBM, introduced an AI drive-thru test two years ago that will soon be coming to an end. The decision to cancel the test was shared with franchisees in an email last week. Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald's USA, mentioned that there have been successes with the technology to date but the company sees an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly. The current partnership with IBM on AOT will be ending, and the technology will be shut off in all testing restaurants by July 26, 2024.

The AI technology, which was tested at over 100 McDonald's locations, used Artificial Intelligence to take customers' orders. However, it faced challenges last year as some drive-thrus experienced chaotic situations. Videos surfaced on TikTok showing customers dealing with incorrect orders due to the AI system malfunctioning. Despite these mishaps, McDonald's is considering a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year, indicating that they are not completely abandoning AI drive-thru programs.

McDonald's Pulls Plug on AI Ordering Technology

CNN reported that McDonald's is discontinuing the artificial intelligence ordering technology that was being tested at more than 100 drive-thru systems in the US. Partnered with IBM, McDonald's developed and tested AI-driven, voice-automated ordering at some of its restaurants. The decision to shut off the technology in participating restaurants by July 26, 2024, was confirmed by McDonald's in an email sent to franchisees.

While McDonald's plans to continue working with IBM on other projects, the company is looking into AI partners other than IBM for future endeavors. Despite this setback, McDonald's is not abandoning its AI efforts entirely and aims to evaluate scalable solutions for voice ordering by the end of 2024. Other fast-food chains like White Castle and Wendys have also experimented with AI-powered solutions, facing similar challenges with customers complaining about incorrect orders due to the technology's limitations in recognizing accents and distinguishing voices from background noise.