McDonald’s has paused its artificial intelligence (AI) drive-thru ordering system, a move confirmed by the company on Monday. The test, which began in 2021 in partnership with IBM, aimed to streamline the ordering process at over 100 locations.
However, the initiative faced setbacks with social media users reporting significant errors, including a video showing an order mistakenly inflated to hundreds of dollars worth of chicken McNuggets and an incident involving an ice cream cone served with bacon.
Despite these hiccups, McDonald’s remains optimistic about AI’s role in its future, planning to continue exploring technology solutions for a potential voice ordering system by year’s end. IBM has yet to comment on the development.
The recent issues highlight the challenges AI faces in replicating complex human interactions in everyday tasks.
