McDonald’s is ending its AI drive-thru trial after customers reported errors in their orders - including bacon being added to ice cream.
The fast food chain’s AI ordering system, developed by IBM, uses voice recognition to process orders and has been rolled out at more than 100 McDonald’s locations in the US since 2021.
However, the technology’s reliability has been called into question in recent months, with members of the public sharing videos of order mix-ups on social media.
As well as topping a dessert with bacon, the AI drive-thru assistant added $211 (£166) worth of chicken nuggets to another customer’s order.
McDonald’s has now instructed franchisees to remove the technology by the end of July as it has decided against extending the contract.
The fast food giant said in a statement: “While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “After a thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT (automated order taking) and the technology will be shut off in all restaurants currently testing it no later than 26 July, 2024.”
McDonald’s also said it was confident the technology would still be a part of the company’s future.
