Can you imagine? Your next drive-thru order at Taco Bell might not be taken by a staff member, but by an AI!
Taco Bell's parent company, Yum! Brands, has been testing "voice AI" technology at over 100 Taco Bell drive-thru locations across the United States. According to the plan, this technology will be rolled out to hundreds of Taco Bell stores by the end of this year.
Note: Image from Taco Bell
Yum! Brands believes that the benefits of this AI technology are numerous, reducing the workload on employees, increasing order accuracy, and shortening waiting times. Of course, the ultimate goal is to increase profits for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands, and their franchisees.
However, the results of AI experiments in the fast-food industry have been mixed. Wendy's is satisfied with its tests, but McDonald's recently withdrew its related plans. Keep in mind, there are over 7,400 Taco Bell stores in the U.S., so this rollout is relatively small. Moreover, the initial tests have been conducted in over 100 stores for about two years.
Additionally, Yum! Brands has also introduced voice AI to five KFC restaurants in Australia.
Key points:
😜Taco Bell's parent company plans to introduce "voice AI" technology to hundreds of stores by the end of the year.
😕 The results of AI experiments in the fast-food industry are mixed, with McDonald's withdrawing plans and Wendy's being satisfied.
🤔 With numerous Taco Bell stores in the U.S., this rollout is relatively small, the tests have been ongoing for about two years, and the technology has also been introduced to KFC in Australia.