McDonald's drive-thru AI pulled after multiple errors
Customers have complained about bacon-topped ice cream among other wrong orders
McDonald's is set to withdraw its AI-powered ordering system from US drive-through outlets after a series of humorous blunders were shared by customers online.
The voice recognition technology, developed by IBM, was introduced in 2019 as part of a trial. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the success McDonald's hoped for, with numerous viral videos showcasing its errors. These included orders such as bacon-topped ice cream and hundreds of dollars' worth of chicken nuggets.
Restaurant Business magazine said McDonald's has informed its franchisees that the AI will be removed from over 100 participating restaurants that it was testing it in by the end of July.
"After thoughtful review, McDonald's has decided to end our current global partnership with IBM on Automated Order Taking beyond this year," the company announced in a statement.
Nevertheless, McDonald's still sees potential in the technology. "We 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 statement added.
Job losses for human workers
Concerns about the technology initially centred around job losses for human workers. However, the trial's outcomes have demonstrated that replacing people with AI in such roles is more complicated than anticipated.
One viral TikTok video with 30,000 views shows a frustrated woman repeatedly trying to order a caramel ice cream, only for the AI to add multiple stacks of butter instead. Another video, with 360,000 views, shows a person's order getting mixed up with someone else's, resulting in nine orders of tea.
In a particularly popular clip, two individuals laugh as their order ballooned to hundreds of dollars' worth of chicken nuggets. The New York Post reported another incident where bacon was erroneously added to a customer's ice cream.
Despite ending this specific trial, concerns about AI's impact on the workplace persist. IBM remains optimistic about its technology, stating, "This technology is proven to have some of the most comprehensive capabilities in the industry, fast and accurate in some of the most demanding conditions."
IBM says it plans to continue collaborating with McDonald's on other projects, indicating that while the AI order-taker may be shelved for now, the partnership between the two companies will endure.