McDonald’s is ending its test run of AI-powered drive-thrus with IBM

NEW YORK — Ever get your McDonald’s order mixed up at an AI-powered drive-thru? While the IBM partnership for McDonald’s current automated order taker test is winding down, the Chicago-based company suggested that it wasn’t ruling out other potential AI drive-thru plans down the road — pointing to “an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly.” “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 in a prepared statement this week, adding that it would continue evaluations to “make an informed decision on a future voice ordering solution by the end of the year.” Numerous fast food chains have begun exploring the implementation of AI across operations over recent years, with many pointing to possibilities of maximizing speed and cutting costs. McDonald’s automated order taker with IBM received scores of complaints in recent years, for example — with many taking to social media to document the chatbot misunderstanding their orders. The Armonk, New York-based tech company also said that it is currently “in discussions and pilots” with several other quick-serve restaurant clients interested in the automated order taker. According to trade publication Restaurant Business and CNBC, which obtained a memo sent to franchisees last week, the automated order technology will be shut off in McDonald’s locations testing it “no later than July 26, 2024.” Both IBM and McDonald’s maintained that, while their AI drive-thru partnership was ending, the two would continue their relationship on other projects.