McDonald's is discontinuing its trial of AI-driven drive-throughs with IBM

Have you ever had a confusing order at a McDonald's drive-through with an AI? The computerized order taker is part of an experiment that will end soon.

McDonald's has tested AI technology at some drive-throughs since 2021. On Monday, McDonald's announced it was ending its global partnership with IBM.

That doesn't mean you won't run across a chatbot the next time you drive home to pick up fries. McDonald's is ending its current automated order-taking test, but they may consider using AI for drive-thru orders in the future. They are interested in exploring voice ordering solutions.

McDonald's believes they will introduce a voice ordering system for drive-throughs in the future. This is made possible by their partnership with IBM. They will conduct additional assessments to determine whether to implement a voice ordering system before the end of the year.

Fast food chains are looking into using AI to save money and work faster.

Wendy's and Google Cloud collaborated to create the "Wendy's FreshAI" chatbot in the United States. By the end of 2024, White Castle and SoundHound AI hope to have voice-activated AI technology in over 100 locations. Additionally, OpenCity's "Tori" voice assistant is now available in some Arby's, Popeyes, and Panera establishments' order lanes.

Popeyes U.K. debuted its first AI-powered drive-thru, named "Al," last month in addition to launching one in America. The firm said that a pilot program had 97% accuracy.