Taco Bell customers in the United States could soon have a different drive-thru experience as the chain looks to roll out AI drive-thru ordering.
Yum! Brands, Taco Bell's parent company, has been testing its "Voice AI" technology at over 100 Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the US. The test, which has been going on for about two years, aims to see if AI tech could ease the workloads of staffers, improve order accuracy, and reduce wait times, per Bloomberg.
Yum! Brands is now looking to expand the use of AI tech by bringing the technology to "hundreds" of Taco Bell stores by the end of the year, according to a press release.
"Yum! Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy," Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer at Yum! Brands, said in a statement.
"We're expanding and accelerating our AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to our franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience. With over two years of fine-tuning and testing the drive-thru Voice AI technology, we're confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction," he added.
Other Chains Using AI Tech
Taco Bell is not the only well-known chain that utilizes AI tech. Yum! Brands also plan to roll out its AI tech in five KFC drive-thru locations in Australia. It is unclear when AI tech will be rolled out to the company's other chains, namely Pizza Hut and The Habit Burger Grill.
In addition to Taco Bell, its fast-food rival McDonald's also used AI tech at more than 100 US drive-thru locations. However, the chain pulled the plug on the tech after customers complained that the system got their orders wrong.
Videos posted on social media showed a girl shouting "stop" at the screen as it tallied up over two dozen orders of chicken nuggets. In another case, a customer was given an ice cream cone topped with bacon, per the New York Post.
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