By Leada Gore

Trade publication Restaurant Business reported the company told franchisees it is ending its AI chatbot experiment with IBM “no later than July 26.” ASSOCIATED PRESS

McDonald’s trial run testing artificial intelligence for its drive-through is ending.

Trade publication Restaurant Business reported the company told franchisees it is ending its AI chatbot experiment with IBM “no later than July 26.” The technology will be removed from more than 100 restaurants but the company isn’t ruling out bringing it back in another form.

“A voice-ordering solution for drive-through will be part of our restaurants’ future,” McDonald’s told Restaurant Business.

“While there have been successes to date, we feel there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more broadly,” Mason Smoot, chief restaurant officer for McDonald’s USA, said a message sent to franchisees. “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 July 26, 2024.”

McDonald’s has been testing drive-thru voice AI since 2021.

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