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Taco Bell reconsiders AI use at drive-thrus after customer orders 18,000 cups of water
Despite the flaws, Taco Bell boasts that its voice AI successfully processed two million orders across the US.
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Taco Bell is mulling over its use of AI at over 500 drive-through locations across the US after customers complained about glitches, according to The Wall Street Journal. The flaws came to notice after a video of a customer who had ordered “18,000 cups of water” went viral on TikTok.
Customers experience Taco Bell voice AI glitches
Multiple customers were irritated with Taco Bell’s use of voice AI, according to the outlet. While some experienced defects, others tried to confuse the system through absurd orders.
After a customer had already ordered a Mountain Dew, the system foolishly asked him what he would prefer to “drink with that”. Meanwhile, another customer deliberately ordered “18,000 cups of water” to test the system’s intelligence.
“I think like everybody, sometimes it [voice AI] lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me,” Dane Matthews, Taco Bell Chief Digital and Technology Officer, told the outlet. “We’re learning a lot, I’m going to be honest with you,” Matthews added. Taco Bell launched voice AI-powered ordering at drive-thrus in 2024.
Also read: Taco Bell launches first new Baja Blast flavor in 20 years: Meet Baja Midnight
Dane Matthews had said the move would “improve the team member and consumer experiences”, as per QSR magazine. “Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality,” he had added. He hoped the initiative would enable Taco Bell to “meaningful” ways to serve the customers.
Taco Bell’s future with voice AI
But now that Taco Bell faces complaints, will the fast-food chain stop its use of voice AI? Dane Matthews feels a complete ban on the technology is no solution to the problem. He boasted that despite the glitches, voice AI successfully processed two million orders, according to The Sun.
Matthews wants Taco Bell’s employees to have a better understanding of voice AI. “For our teams, we’ll help coach them: at your restaurant, at these times, we recommend you use voice AI or recommend that you actually really monitor voice AI and jump in as necessary,” he said, per The Wall Street Journal.
He added that it was too “early” to jump to a conclusion and ban the use of voice AI across Taco Bell restaurants. However, Matthews also feels there should not be an AI machine at every Taco Bell drive-thru.
FAQs:
When did Taco Bell launch voice AI?
Taco Bell launched voice AI in 2024.
What is voice AI for restaurants?
Voice AI is a system that allows artificial intelligence to take food orders on behalf of human staff.
What happened in the viral Taco Bell video on TikTok?
A customer ordered 18,000 cups of water.
