AI Is Coming to Your Favorite Fast Food Drive-Thru Soon!

AI, or artificial intelligence, will soon be taking your fast food order at drive-throughs across the country.

Yum! Brands which includes fast food giants like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, announced that they will begin rolling out AI in hundreds of locations in April and continue through June according to USA Today. According to a news release it is partnering with tech company Nvidia. Customers can expect to see the company's voice ordering technology which can handle the most complicated food orders and understand customer speech patterns.

USA Today reports that Nvidia's AI technology has already been used at select Taco Bell and Pizza Hut locations during a pilot stage. The new technology will be used to "optimize drive-thru efficiency and back-of-house labor management." Yum! Brand restaurants join other fast food locations like Wendy's and McDonalds that have experimented with AI at select locations.

I encountered my first AI-powered drive-thru at a Hardees in Cedar Rapids in 2023. I had no issues with the experience and yes, the computer got my order right. USA Today reports that Wendy's plans on expanding the technology to 600 more locations this summer. McDonald's wasn't so lucky. Their AI drive-thru program was scrapped after too many unsuccessful orders.

The real question that most people have about AI is whether will it take away jobs from actual humans. The Hardees I visited said 'No'. AI wasn't meant to replace a human employee, but to make things run more efficiently. I guess we'll see how long the machines are willing to work at a fast food restaurant!

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