McDonald's AI-powered robot botches orders badly

[Jan]

AI not yet ready to take over McDonald's jobs

While many people fear that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace humans in various jobs, there is one seemingly elementary role where the technology still comes short — taking McDonald's drive-thru orders.

ZDNet reports that several people on TikTok have posted how the AI-powered robot at McDonald's outlets in Chicago got their orders completely wrong.

 

[MentellusMaximus]

What went wrong, did it replace the cardboard burger patties with meat?

 

[_TrXtR_]

They should stop calling it AI. It's not intelligent, even chatgpt is not intelligent.
Calling it AI is resulting in allot of companies using it for business as something intelligent.

 

[Goosfrabba]

I thought getting the order wrong was part of the McD's experience

 

[AstroTurf]

The highest level of automation offered by McDonald’s in South Africa is its self-service kiosks, where customers can place orders and pay without speaking to a waitron or cashier.

Self and wife went for breakfast the other day and went to the self service screen.
Before we even got to it we had a "helpful" employee explaining that we need to use the screen to place an order and then she stood there right next to us (3 people in-front of 1 screen) watching us place the order till I eventually asked her politely to go away.

 

[LandyMan]

I am not surprised, NO ONE, not even a computer, can hear over those cheapass speakers and microphones they use

 

[LandyMan]

I thought getting the order wrong was part of the McD's experience

No, you are confusing this with the broken ice cream machine

 

[Pak Fa Fui]

Imagine AI McDonalds in SA, it will go crazy if you order and say heita, koopa 2 Big Macs aseblief, thanks

 

[dualmeister]

went to the self service screen

I hate their self service interface

 

[AstroTurf]

I hate their sell service interface

It's the fact that I have to put the card into the machine below knee level that pisses me off

 

[1am7h30n3]

I hate their self service interface

Why though? I've found it to work fairly well.

 

[1am7h30n3]

I don't really understand why anyone would want an "AI-powered robot" to take an order at a drive through when they could just use a touch screen menu selection though?

 

[Arthur]

It's the fact that I have to put the card into the machine below knee level that pisses me off

Exactly. In December I sent in a written complaint to SA hq. Someone needs to let them know.

 

[backstreetboy]

It's the fact that I have to put the card into the machine below knee level that pisses me off

It's called tap to pay.

 

[neoprema]

Exactly. In December I sent in a written complaint to SA hq. Someone needs to let them know.

I don't put any card in, its not 2018. You order on the machine, and tap your watch or phone and its done?

 

[Arthur]

True. I generally tap'n'go. But that didn't work on the last machine I tried. Had to walk back to the car, get a card, then slither on floor to insert card.

 

[Dolby]

Whew

Caitlyn Sykora had McNuggets meals worth over $300 (R5,446) mistakenly added to her order. Trying to tell the robot to stop adding more meals to the order did not work.

 

[konfab]

Option 1: Have an app on a phone to create the order with, then when you pull up to a drive through, it generates a QR code for you to scan and it submits the order like that. Or enter the order in on the touchscreen.
Option 2: Scream at a computer.

McDonalds: I will have a number 2 large with extra fries.

 

[konfab]

I thought getting the order wrong was part of the McD's experience

They trained it on their employees.

 

[AstroTurf]

It's called tap to pay.

As in "I'd tap that"?