Taco Bell is having second thoughts about relying on AI at the drive-through
The Chief Digital Officer of Taco Bell says that the company has an “active conversation” about when to use and not to be used AI.
The company apparently has rolled out a voice AI-driven ordering with more than 500 drive-throughs, leading to unflatter viral moments like someone 18,000 ordering water cups To ‘circumvent’ the AI and be connected to a human server.
Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Matthews told The Wall Street Journal That even he has mixed experiences with technology: “Sometimes it abandons me, but sometimes it really surprises me.”
In general, it sounds like Taco Bell still decides how wide to use AI in the Drive-Through, with leeway for different franchisees to do things in their own way. Instead of exclusively trusting AI, Matthews said it could be logical to have a human handle through drive-through orders in busy restaurants with long rows.
“For our teams we will help them coach: in your restaurant we recommend that you use Voice AI at these times or advise you to actually follow speech AI and jump,” he said.
