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McDonald’s first experimented with AI voice ordering back in 2021 with IBM’s help. We can assume that the staffing and health challenges closely tied to the pandemic likely had something to do with the perhaps premature move to AI customer service. However, the fast food company just shared in a franchise memo that every drive-thru will shut off the Automated Order Taker by July 26. Drivers shouldn’t think this is the end of robots taking our orders, though.

The memo came from Mason Smoot, the senior vice president and chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s U.S. “While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Smoot stated. “After thoughtful review, McDonald’s has decided to end our current partnership with IBM on AOT.”

Smoot insisted that IBM will remain a company partner in other technologies besides AI ordering.

A McDonald's restaurant exterior with cars in drive-thru lane
jetcityimage via iStock

AI drive-thru ordering needs work, but it’s not going away

Some are surely happy over the news, citing the tech’s less-than-ideal performance. For instance, at the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention, one analyst wrote that witnesses claimed that the IBM-sourced AI order taker actually interpreted all of its orders incorrectly. Despite these hiccups, I think this is far from the end of drive-thru AI. Tech companies offering customer-facing AI will work to become more accurate. And anyway, IBM isn’t the only company offering customer-facing AI.

McDonald’s said in a statement to CNBC that it’s continuing to explore AI despite ending its partnership with IBM in this area. Moreover, in December 2023, McDonald’s announced a new partnership with Google Cloud. 

Back then, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai released a statement: “We’re excited to see how McDonald’s will use our generative AI, cloud, and edge computing tools to improve their iconic dining experience for their employees and their customers all over the world.”

If I were to predict the near future here, it’d involve a “polite” switch to testing Google AI in its drive-thrus. I have no doubt that fast food staffing challenges will remain, so restaurants will almost have to rely on drive-thru AI to keep sales going, even if it means ironing out the kinks and quirks.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy joined the MotorBiscuit team as managing editor in 2021 and brings with her a bevy of automotive expertise. She’s an ASE-Certified Automotive Service Consultant and licensed car salesperson with over a decade of shop operations experience.

Sarah was the creator of “Shop Smarts” for MOTOR Magazine and was a contributor from 2013 to 2020. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015.

She has attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University.