(NewsNation) — The next time you order a frosty, there’s a chance you’ll be talking to a robot.
After months of testing, Wendy’s is expanding its artificial intelligence partnership with Google to streamline the drive-thru experience at its restaurants.
Starting in 2024, franchisees will get a chance to test the company’s “FreshAI” chatbot, the chain announced Monday. Right now the tech is only available at four company-operated restaurants in Columbus, Ohio.
Wendy’s started testing the AI chatbot back in May. The company said service times at an AI pilot location were 22 seconds faster than the local market average.
In terms of accuracy, FreshAI successfully handled 86% of orders without intervention from staff. That number is expected to improve as the AI model continues to iterate, Wendy’s said.
Surveys show most Americans are worried about AI when it comes to job security but Wendy’s says its software is meant to assist workers, not replace them. The goal is for AI to free up employees to focus on preparing food and building relationships with customers, Wendy’s said in its announcement.
Other fast-food chains have made similar promises.
Last week, McDonald’s announced plans to integrate Google Cloud technology across thousands of its restaurants worldwide. The partnership will allow the world’s largest fast-food chain to use Google’s AI tools so workers can focus on customers, McDonald’s said.
Yum! Brands, which includes popular chains like Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, is also testing an AI drive-thru platform, CFO Chris Turner said on a recent earnings call. That tech, which generates “automated upsell recommendations,” is currently being tested at a couple of restaurants in California, Turner said.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s locations started rolling out automated drive-thru ordering earlier this year. Panera began testing its voice-enabled AI drive-thru in New York back in August 2022.
Although they’re becoming more common, the transition to AI-drive-thrus hasn’t been completely seamless.
Presto Automation Inc., a restaurant tech firm that provides AI chatbots to chains like Del Taco and Carl’s Jr., acknowledged that off-site workers in places like the Philippines help during 70% of customer interactions to make sure the AI system doesn’t mess up, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.
Over the past year, several TikTok users have documented their frustrations with the McDonald’s drive-thru after the AI tech appeared to mess up their order.
But as with other AI models, drive-thru chatbots are likely to improve as the amount of training data increases.
Wendy’s said it plans to continue expanding FreshAI and could eventually integrate the tech with its app, in-restaurant kiosks, mobile devices and smart home devices.
