In what might be one of the most easily predictable AI missteps to date, Taco Bell’s recent move to replace human employees with AI to help manage drive-thru orders has gone spectacularly wrong. From people trolling the AI to it struggling to do its job, Taco Bell has found itself looking into other possible options and ways to approach how it handles drive-thru orders going forward.
“We’re learning a lot, I’m going to be honest with you,” Taco Bell’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Dane Mathews, told The Wall Street Journal in response to a question about how the ongoing transition to using AI in Taco Bell’s drive-thru has been going. Mathews continued by saying that sometimes the AI lets him down. However, he also noted that “sometimes it really surprises me.”
If you haven’t been following the discourse, the fast food taco franchise rolled out an AI-powered drive-thru experience to more than 500 of its locations last year. The move was meant to speed up ordering for customers while also offering relief to human employees inside the restaurant. However, the response to the AI, and as the AI’s ability to do the job, have been underwhelming.
Taco Bell’s AI attracts trolls
On top of the mistakes you might expect from AI systems like this — AI hallucinations continue to be an issue — Taco Bell has also made itself a target of online trolls, some who proceeded to order “18,000 cups of water” when talking to the AI. These requests are met with responses from the AI letting the customer know that it will get a service associate to help.
Meanwhile, others have recorded themselves struggling to even talk to the AI as it asks for their name again and again, creating a frustrating experience while trying to order food. Others have posted on Reddit about the AI’s lack of accuracy, with the system often seeming to misunderstand orders completely at times.
Ultimately, this seems like a clear indicator of how people feel about AI in the drive-thru. And since we’re only a few years into the rise of generative AI, it really isn’t too surprising — especially with all the backlash against AI as a whole. Many people just aren’t buying into the hype, and some of those same people are the target demographic of restaurants like Taco Bell. McDonald’s has also been testing similar AI at some of its restaurants. For now, Mathews tells WSJ that Taco Bell is looking into other areas where it can utilize AI beyond the drive-thru, but he also admits that the chain is considering scaling back on AI.
