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McDonalds removes AI drive-throughs after order errors (www.bbc.com)

submitted 6 months ago by Stopthatgirl7 to c/technology

105 comments fedilink hide all child comments

McDonald's is removing artificial intelligence (AI) powered ordering technology from its drive-through restaurants in the US, after customers shared its comical mishaps online.

A trial of the system, which was developed by IBM and uses voice recognition software to process orders, was announced in 2019.

It has not proved entirely reliable, however, resulting in viral videos of bizarre misinterpreted orders ranging from bacon-topped ice cream to hundreds of dollars' worth of chicken nuggets.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Wouldn't it make more sense to just drop the speakers and make them use mobile apps only?

[–] afraid_of_zombies 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)

No, that would involve telling people to use a cellphone in a running car. Massive liability

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

...which is why I park first at the chain before I order. You right its a liability, but they're gonna run out of options if they can't afford someone to run the speaker, be it AI, someone in a call center, or the restaurant.

[–] ripcord 3 points 6 months ago

Why would they not be able to afford someone...? And run out of "options"...?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Not if the car is stopped. Here's how it should work:

park in a "drive-thru" stall
scan QR code specific to that stall (optional - connect to wifi at the stall)
enter order through a simple webapp
worker brings order out

If you want to talk to someone, walk inside, no need for a drive-thru window at all. That's basically how the old drive-ins worked, adjusted for modern tools.

[–] afraid_of_zombies 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You know I am good with just getting my ass out of the car and walking a short distance to get my 4000 calorie meal. I am fine without implementing an entire protocol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

It's the same as the order pickup they have, just with info about what stall you're in. That's really it, and it would allow eliminating the entire drive-thru experience, along with all the car idling and whatnot.