McDonald’s quits AI
McDonald’s is ending a test run of AI drive-thrus. It paired with IBM and put it in more than 100 restaurants since 2021. The goal was to simplify voice-activated ordering. It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with replacing workers with automation given the new $20/hour minimum wage for fast food restaurants (CA is considering another 3.5% increase in 2025).
Two sources familiar with the technology told CNBC that among its challenges, it had issues interpreting different accents and dialects, which affected order accuracy. McDonald’s will keep using IBM’s other solutions, but AI ordering seems to be on hold.
Reminds me of some issues iPhone has in Scotland.