McDonald's is partner with Google to implement generative ai beginning in 2024, when “thousands” of stores will get hardware and software upgrades. Along with updates to other systems, including ordering kiosks and the company's mobile app, McDonald's will be able to use generative ai on massive amounts of data to optimize operations. At least one result It will be, according to the company, “hotter and fresher food” for customers. Are large orders of French fries delivered hot thanks to great language models? It's not completely It's clear what that means, but we can read between the lines: Expect more ai-powered automation at a drive-thru near you in the coming years.
McDonald's doesn't specify how the ai will be used, but says it will include hardware and software updates that will run in stores, as well as services provided through Google Cloud. The updated system will help managers “rapidly identify and implement solutions to reduce business disruptions.”
McDonald's statement It also sidesteps the question of whether ai will replace human workers, mentioning only that the system should “reduce complexity” for store staff and will “drive exciting new experiences for staff and customers.” Wendy's, another Google Cloud ai customer, followed a similar line when it introduced ai order testing earlier this year. As of June, it was running in beta in a single store. in Columbus, Ohio, so the jury is still out.
Still, there is a smell of “robots replacing human workers” in the air. The generative ai push also coincides with the rollout of a new “tailor-made” operating system to unify the experience on McDonald's mobile app and in-store kiosks. McD's says that in general The changes will result in “more informed testing and automated solutions to improve restaurant operations.” Fake Drake self-service ATMs? McRib Chatbots? Hard to say. In any case, it will be some time before we know if anyone really loves it.
