If your local McDonald's has consistently made mistakes with your order using an AI chatbot at the drive-thru, there is some good news for you. The company has decided to end the program for now. According to trade publication Restaurant Business, McDonald's informed franchisees that it will be winding down its AI drive-thru ordering partnership with IBM, with an expected completion date of no later than July 26th, 2024. McDonald's had been testing this AI system in over 100 restaurants after partnering with IBM in 2021. However, the reason behind the decision to terminate the IBM deal remains unclear. McDonald's stated that the purpose of the test was to evaluate whether the voice ordering chatbot could enhance the speed of service.

The company expressed confidence that a voice-ordering solution for the drive-thru will still be a part of their future restaurants. In December, McDonald's made a somewhat vague announcement about a partnership with Google. It was reported by Bloomberg that part of this deal involved a chatbot named "Ask Pickles" that would provide guidance to employees on topics such as cleaning ice cream machines. It is worth noting that Google has also partnered with Wendy's, which began testing its own drive-thru AI based on Google's technology last year and has since expanded the trial. AI technology is highly sought-after by fast food companies in general. For instance, White Castle has been experimenting with AI provided by speech recognition company SoundHound. Additionally, Carl's Jr. , Hardee's, and other chains have implemented an AI drive-through chatbot, as revealed in an SEC filing, which primarily relies on remote human workers in the Philippines.