McDonald’s is replacing human drive-thru attendants with AI

“McDonald’s just rolled out a voice recognition system at 10 drive-throughs in Chicago, expanding from the solitary test store they launched a few years ago.
Flippy the robot flips burgers at a California restaurant, grilling up to 150 burgers in an hour. And Spyce, a Boston restaurant, employs seven automated woks to cook food — and zero human chefs.
The technology is still in its infancy and only about 85% accurate. One in 5 orders needs a little help from an actual human”

Why McDonald’s might sell part of this AI startup

“When the chain paid $300 million for Dynamic Yield two years ago, it was central to the company’s digital strategy and one of its largest acquisitions in decades.
The company works with other clients besides McDonald’s, and that business has grown since the acquisition and now works with 300 other brands globally.
It facedpressure from franchisees and Wall Street to show better results after from its technology investments — part of a push by former Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook, who was ousted in 2019.”

“The fast-food restaurant is enabling digital menus capable of real-time customization thanks to a partnership with Certona
‘As a forward-looking company, we’re using the latest machine learning and AI technology to better deliver on those individual preferences.’”

“WIthin a decade, it could be possible for an individual to approach a drive-through in an autonomous vehicle, order through an AI-powered voice ordering assistant, and eat food that was prepared by robots.
An AI will be able to analyze data about foods, beverages, ingredients, chemical compounds, techniques, and tastes in order to develop new recipes, foods, and beverages.”

“Artificial intelligence was identified by a number of restaurant tech providers as a top trend for 2020 and, so far, those predictions seem pretty spot on.
Taco Bell is making its case for AI, announcing a broader partnership with Certona
Through the technology, machine learning derives the most relevant menu items for app users and also pushes promotions and content based on an individual customer’s behavior.
Last week, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson told the National Retail Federation Show crowd about the company’s Deep Brew (AI) technology, calling it a “key part” of Starbucks’ future.”

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