Taco Bell is expanding its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to take orders at drive-thrus across the United States. The fast-food chain has been testing AI ordering at select locations and plans to roll it out to over 8,000 drive-thrus by the end of 2024. The AI system, developed by a startup called Presto, uses natural language processing and machine learning to understand spoken orders and relay them to kitchen staff. Taco Bell claims the AI ordering system is more accurate than human workers and can handle complex customizations and substitutions. However, some customers have expressed concerns about privacy and the potential for errors. The company says human workers will still be involved in the process and that the AI is designed to enhance, not replace, the customer experience. The move is part of a broader trend in the fast-food industry to adopt AI and automation to improve efficiency and reduce labor costs.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/31/tech/taco-bell-expanding-ai-ordering-drive-thrus/index.html