Business Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgyk2p55g8o

Taco Bell is rethinking its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to power drive-through restaurants in the US after comical videos of the tech making mistakes were viewed millions of times.

In one clip, a customer seemingly crashed the system by ordering 18,000 water cups, while in another a person got increasingly angry as the AI repeatedly asked him to add more drinks to his order.

Since 2023, the fast-food chain has introduced the technology at over 500 locations in the US, with the aim of reducing mistakes and speeding up orders.

But the AI seems to have served up the complete opposite.
Taco Bell's Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews told The Wall Street Journal that deploying the voice AI has had its challenges.

"Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me," he said.

He said the firm was "learning a lot" - but he would now think carefully about where to use AI going forwards, including not using it at drive-throughs.

In particular, Mr Matthews said, there are times when humans are better placed to take orders, especially when the restaurants get busy.

"We'll help coach teams on when to use voice AI and when it's better to monitor or step in," he said.

The issues have been building online as disgruntled customers take to social media to complain about the service - with many pointing out glitches and issues.

One clip on Instagram, which has been viewed over 21.5 million times, shows a man ordering "a large Mountain Dew" and the AI voice continually replying "and what will you drink with that?".

It isn't the first time there has been issues with AI not getting it right when it comes to processing food and drink orders.

Last year McDonald's withdrew AI from its own drive-throughs as the tech misinterpreted customer orders - resulting in one person getting bacon added to their ice cream in error, and another having hundreds of dollars worth of chicken nuggets mistakenly added to their order.

But despite some of the viral glitches facing Taco Bell, it says two million orders have been successfully processed using the voice AI since its introduction.

 

[KiwiFuzz2]

The last time I went to that shit I was looking at the menu and halfway through ordering and a giant ad splashed up on the screen and obscured the menu. WTF.

 

[Dan Abrams]

I’ll take the occasional glitch over having to talk to some barely sentient cashier who spits in my food.

 

[George Lucas]

Midnight Taco Bell -> Morning Taco Hell

 

[SirCliveSinclairdabbing]

How many of these "company rethinks AI" stories can come out before the bubble finally bursts? This technology costs billions of dollars and its most compelling use case is still high-effort shitposting.

Hopefully a couple more years.
We need it to get far enough along that the nuke plants powering their data centres exist so us plebs can use that cheap clean energy when the ai is shut down.

 

[No-Eyed Square Guy]

What did you save?

The hidden premise of libertarianism (and anything like it, including most versions of communism) is that profit-seeking calculations are correct.

In real life almost everyone is an idiot, and though personal greed may motivate them, efficiency-maximizing correctness doesn't, ever.

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

Should have just linked drive-thrus to Indian call centers.

Don't give them that fucking idea

 

[Stoneheart]

This would work much better if they dont let indians build those systems for them.
alot of big companies cant do anything right anymore. even tech companies like google fail to implement AI right. their autodub voice sounds like text to speech from the 90s...

there are good ai systems already on the market, my small local electricity company perfect AI chatbots.
it took me a minute to realize it was AI because the voice was so good that only some unnatural pauses made it clear. it understood everything and even asked good questions, much better than the actual human tech it connected me to afterwards...

 

[Sugriva]

This would work much better if they dont let indians build those systems for them.
alot of big companies cant do anything right anymore. even tech companies like google fail to implement AI right. their autodub voice sounds like text to speech from the 90s...

there are good ai systems already on the market, my small local electricity company perfect AI chatbots.
it took me a minute to realize it was AI because the voice was so good that only some unnatural pauses made it clear. it understood everything and even asked good questions, much better than the actual human tech it connected me to afterwards...

I was going to come into this thread to shit on AI drive throughs but you've made me realize I'd much rather talk to a robot than a Pajeet.

 

[Baroque]

This is using the tech sub-optimally. Augment not replace!

 

[Stoneheart]

I was going to come into this thread to shit on AI drive throughs but you've made me realize I'd much rather talk to a robot than a Pajeet.

a well made AI isnt bad at many basic tasks.
i think a big issue with most ai implementations are basic things like the program not taking notes or not understanding pauses.

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

Also remember this stuff is complicated by the fact that the only people left ordering "in person" instead of repeating the app number are boomers unable to figure out a phone.

 

[rando[Numbers]]

typical AI vibe coders can’t even test, why the fuck do you need AI when ordering is just selecting from a menu?

 

[Ibanez RG 350EX]

This is using the tech sub-optimally. Augment not replace!

Replacement is the entire business case for AI. Unless it replaces millions of peons across the economy, it can't justify its costs.

 

[Mr.Bucket]

AI, much like robotics in some manufacturing applications, can/will never overcome the human element of unpredictability.

Yes. You can fork over $750,000 for a robotic welder, fixturing and programming to make parts faster and pay someone pennies to load it night and day. And you're right. You're going to save money on labor right up until the point where that part is pulled out of the machine and there's a problem.

You're paying a vegetable the lowest tolerable wage to load that fixture. They're going to fuck up and not care. And that robot is going to weld regardless. Now you have to hire a welder anyways to fix the robot vomit because you nixed your IPI staff because "ROBOTS!" and bad parts got to a customer. And that welder has to be better (more expensive) than average because he also has to inspect and repair, not just lay a bead.

What did you save?

Reminds me of when a robot is out of spec at work and some poor bastard has to grind off and hand-weld on new rooves on like 60 vehicle bodies.

It has happened a concerning number of times.

Edit: rooves? Roofs? Fuck if I know man I got like two hours of sleep.

 

[Sailor Kim Jong Moon]

I hate these robots. Dunkin Donuts has a sultry, young female voice ask me if I want to order a brown sugar espresso every time. Then the voice is quickly clipped to an awkward teenage boy to complete the order

No, Dunkin. You’ll never trick me into thinking a hot girl is offering to make me an espresso. It’s fucking weird.

 

[Otterly]

Good thing the fast food experience became too dystopian and too expensive a couple years ago.... otherwise the prospect of having to consult HAL to get an order done might have been disconcerting to me.

I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave

 

[Clotso Coof]

How many of these "company rethinks AI" stories can come out before the bubble finally bursts?

Just last night, I had a long discussion with a cash-strapped middle aged relative about why he should stop using his meager investment fund to buy individual big-name tech stocks. I explained why he needs to diversify, how bubbles happen, how he's way way way behind on retirement saving for his age.

But, no, all this dumbass can see is the big gains a few AI-heavy tech stocks have made over the last couple years. He's going to lose 70 percent of his money (if he's lucky) when the bubble pops.

 

[Lobster Cult High Priest]

The last time I went to that shit I was looking at the menu and halfway through ordering and a giant ad splashed up on the screen and obscured the menu. WTF.

Those are the worst when you go on a road trip and stop at a Tim Hortons for a piss break and maybe something to eat. The menus flash by so fast you only have 5 seconds to read the menu before 30 seconds of ads / new features making you look like a retard when you tell the wagie to wait while you wait for the menu to cycle back through

 

[George Lucas]

Those are the worst when you go on a road trip and stop at a Tim Hortons for a piss break and maybe something to eat. The menus flash by so fast you only have 5 seconds to read the menu before 30 seconds of ads / new features making you look like a retard when you tell the wagie to wait while you wait for the menu to cycle back through

We desperately need a leaf react.

 

[Captain Ahab]

It’s starting to look more and more like AI will be the new 3D TV.