O McDonald’s is removing artificial intelligence-powered ordering technology from its U.S. drive-thru restaurants after customers shared funny situations regarding the system.
A test of the system, developed by IBM and which uses voice recognition software to process orders, was announced in 2019. However, it did not prove completely reliable, resulting in viral videos of bizarre and misinterpreted orders, ranging from ice cream to bacon topping to hundreds of dollars worth of nuggets.
The fast food chain told franchisees that it would remove the technology from the more than 100 restaurants in which it tested it by the end of July, as reported by the Restaurant Business portal. However, he added that he remains confident that technology will still be part of the future of his restaurants.
“After careful consideration, McDonald’s has decided to terminate our current global partnership with IBM on AOT. We will continue to evaluate scalable, long-term solutions that will help us make an informed decision on a future voice recognition ordering solution by the end of the year,” the statement said.
The technology has been controversial from the start, although concerns initially focused on its potential to take people’s jobs. Over time, it has become apparent that replacing human workers in restaurants may not be as simple as people initially feared.
The setbacks of the AI ordering system were shown on the internet. In one video, which has 30,000 views on TikTok, a young woman becomes increasingly angry as she tries to convince the AI that she wants caramel ice cream.
In another, which has 360,000 views, a person claims their order was confused with one placed by someone else, resulting in nine tea orders being added to their bill. Another popular video shows two people laughing as hundreds of dollars worth of chicken nuggets are added to their order. The New York Post also reported that another person mistakenly added bacon to their ice cream.
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The end of this test does not mean the end of concerns about reshaping AI in the workplace. IBM said it would continue to work with McDonald’s in the future.
“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. As McDonald’s reevaluates and refines its plans for AOT, we look forward to continuing to work with them on a variety of other projects,” concludes IBM in a statement.
*Cover photo: Disclosure/McDonald’s
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