Two years ago, McDonald’s started using artificial intelligence for its drive-thru orders. It was basically a pilot program that was rolled out over more than 100 McDonald’s locations. From the beginning, that little experience was a disaster. You know how when you ask Siri or Alexa to set a timer for 15 minutes, only to realize after like 25 minutes that the timer was never set and now your dinner is burned? Well, it was like that, only instead of burnt chicken, customers were getting 20 orders of McNuggets, multiple drinks added, and ice cream with bacon on top. The big mess ups went viral on social media, with people sharing the crazy things the McDonald’s drive-thru AI mistook their orders for. One customer shared a video where the AI added 20 orders of McNuggets instead of a 20 piece, which would have cost over $200! As a result, McDonald’s has announced that they’re going to ixnay the whole thing in July and reintroduce it after a later date.
“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, told franchisees in an email obtained by Restaurant Business. “After a thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT and the technology will be shut off in all restaurants currently testing it no later than July 26, 2024.”
Smoot added that McDonald’s will continue to evaluate its plans to make “an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.”
In February, a TikTok user known as “Ren” posted a video testimonial in which she described how cross-talk from a neighboring drive-thru station led the McDonald’s AI to add nine orders of sweet tea to her bill — instead of the hash brown, sweet tea and Coke that she ordered.
Another TikToker, Madilynn Cameron, posted a video that shows her “fighting with a McDonald’s robot” as she entered a drive-thru and placed an order of vanilla ice cream without caramel — only for the machine to add cream packets instead.
“I just want a large water and a cup of ice cream,” she said in the clip from November 2022. “Where’d the butter come from!”
In January, Cailyn Sykora posted a TikTok showing the AI-powered drive thru adding more than 20 orders of a McNuggets Meal worth some $222. “The McDonald’s robot is wild,” the caption on the TikTok video read.
McDonald’s embrace of AI can be traced back to 2019, when it acquired the startup firm Apprente, which introduced AI-based voice solutions that can be used in customer service settings. The acquisition of Apprente was done with the goal of eventually deploying the AI-powered technology at the restaurants’ drive-thru locations in order to improve speed and efficiency of order-taking. McDonald’s then folded Apprente into its own AI-focused division called McD Tech Labs. In 2021, McD Tech Labs was sold to IBM.
As part of the deal, IBM partnered with McDonald’s to scale up the rollout of its AI-powered automated order taking. McDonald’s told Restaurant Business that the goal of the pilot program was to test whether the new technology could speed up the drive-thru ordering process. The company said IBM will still be a “trusted partner and we will still utilize many of their products across our global system.”
“As we move forward, our work with IBM has given us the confidence that a voice-ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future,” McDonald’s said. “We see tremendous opportunity in advancing our restaurant technology and 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.”
CNBC reports that “Two sources familiar with the technology told CNBC that among its challenges, it had issues interpreting different accents and dialects, which affected order accuracy.” McDonalds refused to comment and IBM did not respond to CNBC.
I think it was pretty obvious that companies are going to use AI for as long as it is still profitable to them. I mean, at the start, middle, and end of the day, that’s what this is all about, right? It’s not about customer experience or better efficiency or any of that other crap they feed us. No, it’s about profitability and making more money for executives and shareholders, with a smudge of good publicity thrown in for good measure. Of course they’re going to bring it back at some point. But, it’s never going to be foolproof. Mickey D’s is not the only company experimenting in AI, either. Wendy’s, Dunkin, Domino’s, KFC, Starbucks, Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., and more are all doing it. I not-so-secretly hope that it blows up in all of their faces.
That said, this whole debacle reminds me of the movie Good Burger 2. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s no cinematic masterpiece but we watched it with the kids a few months ago. They didn’t really appreciate it as much as their Millennial parents did, but they laughed at points. So anyway, *spoiler* but the climax of the movie involves a fast-food AI ordering system gone completely wrong. It’s actually pretty similar to this! All I’m sayin’ is that Kenan and Kel have always known what’s up.
AI can sometimes go hilariously wrong: McDonald's tested an AI ordering system in 100 US restaurants but stopped due to numerous funny and chaotic errors. Despite a claimed 85% accuracy, the remaining 15% caused too many issues. 🍔🤖 #TechFail #AI #McDonalds (Source: VRT NWS) pic.twitter.com/3UY16KD530
— itdevops bv (@itdevopsbv) June 19, 2024
@typical_redhead_ I thought TikTok would appreciate this 💀 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #comedy #fail ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
photos credit: Quentin Bounias on Unsplash, RDNE Stock Project on Pexels
My company is very big on AI and every time I try to use it. I get out of date answers or flat-out wrong answers.
While I am sure it will have a place down the road. And eventually box me out of my job. But for now, it doesn’t understand the nuances of us humans yet.
This is not about efficiency it’s about undercutting the workers. It would have probably cost less to pay workers better wages than wasting millions on faulty AI technology.
This. God forbid there’s a minimum-wage job for someone out there.
These jobs are 20+ an hour in my small mountain town. Mcds even threw in a bonus of a free iPhone and still had trouble getting workers. People are already upset about a $18 fast food combo meal, it’s going to get worse with how much workers cost. I’m not surprised they want some other options
Yes, this. I’m so sick of when I have an issue, I need to go thru an AI response system that tells me stuff I already know, when I actually need to speak to a human as well. The McD’s system seems woefully inadequate (at the moment), but the reason that it and other AI systems were implemented has to do with eliminating jobs and maximizing profits.
And, I’m sorry, but Mason Smoot sounds like an AI name.
Lol, it’s real name. George Smoot is a Nobel winning astrophysicist. And as a fraternity pledge, some MIT students measured off the MIT bridge by using their fellow frat, Oliver Smoot, as a measuring tool. They laid him down repeatedly over the bridge and came up with 364 Smoots and one ear. The measurements are still painted on the bridge.
Pay workers better and install speakers, mics that work properly, eliminate crosstalk. Then they don’t need AI because the customers, drive thru staff will be able to hear each other accurately
Our local McDonald’s has that AI? thing that asks you if you want to use your app to order. My response: I don’t know what that even means. I just want to order some smoothies with a real person! Then get a real person.
Today we decided to order pizzas. Generally, it’s from Rosati’s and sometimes Pizza Hut. DH said Domino’s. Fun times. Our local Domino’s no longer has a human answering the phone. Placing the order (we ordered 2 pizzas). The first one went well, the second one was a 4 minute back and forth conversation with a “voice”. Ordered a thin crust pizza, light on cheese with marinara sauce and pepperoni & green peppers. “Voice” said, A thin crust pizza, light on the cheese with pepperoni & green pepper and a hand dipping marinara sauce. Said no. Ordering a thin crust pizza, light on the cheese with marinara sauce and pepperoni and green peppers. “Voice” said/repeated the order-this time with 2 sides of hand dipping marinara sauce. I’m like NO. No hand dipping marinara sauce. I just want marinara sauce on the pizza. No hand dipping sauce needed. “Voice” said, so you want a thin crust pizza, light on cheese, pepperoni & green peppers and a hand dipping marinara sauce. My response: No. I don’t want any hand dipping sauce. But, you apparently know what I want more than me. So we’re good to go? We laughed at size of the controversial hand dipping marinara sauce and the time took ordering pizzas without wanting the f$cking hand dipping marinara sauce. Did tell DH if he wants Domino’s again, he can place the order.
Lobbying and taxation policies have a huge amount to do with this as well!
Equipment is a depreciable asset, which is used to reduce tax liability. ($$$+)
Employees are NOT a depreciable asset and involve cost only ($$$-)
It would be incredibly interesting to see the results if employment replacing equipment negated tax liability reduction via depreciation. Or even included a penalty for reducing general taxation income via unemployment.
The Checkers drive thru by us uses an automated order taking system at the speaker, and it works perfectly. The technology seems to be there, so I’m not sure why McDonald’s would struggle with it so much.
I think the Checkers system is more a case of a human listening to the order and pressing buttons for automated answers – there’s still a person doing the actual processing.
Oh, interesting! I would never have guessed that’s how it functions after using it. It certainly doesn’t feel that way. But I don’t go to Checkers very often at all, so I’m definitely not an authority.
I was listening to the news and it said companies were finding it cheaper to hire employees than to switch to AI. I guess they forgot to factor in the cost of customer dissatisfaction. They can’t get rid of us all just yet.
If the corporations have only robots working for them, then who is going to have money to buy their burgers?
Much as I personally do not need my washing machine or my fridge to talk to my phone, we do NOT need to try and make AI do everything. Please stop. The energy required is also a disaster for the environment. Yes there are absolutely places where there is true value to be gained but right now we’re a kid with a new toy and every company is trying to get AI to do everything that people used to do. STOP.
🎯
It’s a disaster for economies. A disaster for teens to go out, learn how to work and deal with people. AI seems to be creating a future where real people are not needed.imo
Mason. SMOOT!
Awhile back a Boston Globe travel writer tried AI for recommendations as if they were a tourist in Boston. They asked for places within 1/2 mile of public transportation, “local” food joints and places that were not overrun with tourists. Among the places recommended were the Boston Punlic Garden, probably the #1 tourist spot in Boston; Fanueil Hall for food (top 5 for tourists) and a venue 3 miles from the T or any sort of bus/train. The comments were the best part of the article! So yes, AI has a way to go!
This isn’t really “AI” unless it’s the machine learning how to process natural language in natural environments.
But this just looks like beta-testing your minimum viable product on your living, breathing, spending, precious, customers.
“Stupid is as stupid does.”
I work in automation, and 15% error rate is an absolutely insane risk management level to pilot something at. You really want it to be 1-2% error rate max for non-essential tasks and <1% for more delicate ones. What a lot of these companies don't realize is they aren't paying to get rid of workers. They're paying to *change the job workers do.* Now, instead of customer service, what you're providing is editing and verification. These things are tools, not workers.
In the video posted, it looks like her order was correct, though? She wanted ice cream, so it put caramel sundae with no caramel topping–doesn’t that make it a plain cup of vanilla ice cream? They don’t charge for ketchup or butter, so it would have worked out fine. I get the frustration though
The “automated” ordering systems suck, yes. But when you’re faced with one, it doesn’t help to ramble, have a side conversation with the person next to you or express your frustration out loud. The system doesn’t recognize your “what TF is wrong with this?!?!” as an aside, it simply tries to resolve that comment into ordering keywords > “One bucket fries with poblano cheese”
But yes, the “automated” ordering systems suck.
If one of these McDonalds was near my house I would never go there. I’ve taken a stand against all this AI anti-worker BS. Frankly I barely buy anything new anymore bc I just can’t support this endless late capitalism wasteland. If I could disappear to a no waste community with no technology I would
yeah it will be back. 3 steps forward, two steps back maybe but the gods have spoken and AI it is.
Truth is low skill entry level workers are hard to find. Rather than regurgitate the Party line, talk to a retail/food service manager. Just an average store manager. They will tell you about the impossibility of hiring and maintaining ring the register and serve the food employees.