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 also mentioned that the firm was 'learning a lot' and would think carefully about where to use AI going forwards, including not using it at drive-throughs.
Mr. Mathews added that there are occasions when humans are better placed to take orders, especially when 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 noted.
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, viewed over 21.5 million times, captures a man ordering 'a large Mountain Dew' yet the AI voice continues replying, 'and what will you drink with that?'.
This isn’t the first time AI has struggled with food and drink orders. Last year, McDonald's withdrew AI from its own drive-throughs as the technology misinterpreted orders, leading to humorous mix-ups, like bacon mistakenly added to ice cream.
Despite these viral glitches, Taco Bell maintains that two million orders have been successfully processed using their voice AI since its introduction.
