Wendy’s to experiment with having Google AI chatbot take drive-thru orders
Christopher Hutton
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Wendy’s is working with Google to automate its drive-thru service, the latest example of generative artificial intelligence being incorporated into everyday life.
The fast food company will begin rolling out the AI-powered software in June at a Columbus, Ohio, restaurant as part of an experiment to see how the technology holds up under long lines and stress, according to the Wall Street Journal. The AI will be powered by Google’s large language model, the software that powers the algorithm beneath the chatbot. The bot will be trained to sell Wendy’s products and understand various relevant terms.
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“It will be very conversational,” Wendy’s CEO Todd Penegor said. “You won’t know you’re talking to anybody but an employee.”
While a conversation about ordering a cheeseburger may seem simple in principle, researchers note that the process will be pretty complicated for the program. “You may think driving by and speaking into a drive-through is an easy problem for AI, but it’s actually one of the hardest,” said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. This includes learning to process extra noise, such as music or children in the background. It will also need to know how to process changes in orders or the specifics that may come with them.
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Penegor said that the AI chatbot is not related to Wendy’s ongoing restructuring efforts and that he does not intend to replace workers with it. Rather, he hopes it will help the workers do their jobs better.
Wendy’s is the latest business to be affected by the increasing use of AI in the corporate world. Companies such as IBM, Samsung, and Chegg have reported seeing their operations significantly affected by AI.