It seems like we just can’t let AI go, especially when it comes to fast food restaurants. Just weeks after customers cheered at the news that McDonald’s would be closing all of its AI drive-thrus, another restaurant has chosen to embrace the technology.
Taco Bell just announced that it will be expanding its Voice AI drive-thru technology to hundreds of Taco Bell locations across the U.S. by the end of 2024. The AI drive-thrus are currently available at more than 100 Taco Bell locations in 13 states.
According to the restaurant, the goal of the expansion is to “enhance the customer and team member experience.” They also cited a number of other benefits, including reducing the workload for team members, improving order accuracy, and reducing wait times.
“Innovation is in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we see Voice AI as a way to improve the team member and consumer experience,” said Dane Mathews, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Taco Bell, in a statement. “By leveraging AI, we can lighten the workload on team members so they can focus on front-end hospitality. It also allows us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers.”
Yum! Brands, the company that owns Taco Bell and KFC, also confirmed that Voice AI is being tested at five KFC drive-thrus in Australia and that it has “been positively received.”
Given that KFC and Taco Bell have both had more positive experiences with Voice AI, it’s unclear where McDonald’s went wrong with its approach to the technology. But some customers say it was simply too chaotic.
The feature is supposed to work using artificial intelligence (AI) to take customer orders. However, at McDonald's, customers have been experiencing errors where the AI upgraded burgers to higher value meals, multiplied menu items, and other frustrating glitches.
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