Taco Bell is the latest food company to bring AI to drive-thrus

Aug 1, 20242:14 PM EDT 3 comments

Your next order at Taco Bell could be taken by an AI assistant.

The fast food chain has announced that it’s currently testing “Voice AI” technology at the drive-thrus of more than 100 locations across the U.S. On top of that, parent company Yum! plans to expand testing to “hundreds” of U.S. Taco Bell restaurants by the end of the year.

While Yum! didn’t mention a rollout in any other countries, it did say it “aspires to implement Voice AI technology in drive-thrus at its brands globally in the future.” In addition to Taco Bell, Yum! also owns the likes of KFC and Pizza Hut.

In its press release, Yum! said the benefits of Voice AI “include easing task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a consistent, friendly experience, and reducing wait times, while driving profitable growth for Taco Bell, Yum! Brands and their franchisees.”

Of course, Yum! isn’t acknowledging the many issues that have come with AI-powered drive-thrus. For instance, McDonalds paused its own AI drive-thrus after it experienced a variety of issues with the tech, including difficulty interpreting accents and dialects.

We’ve also seen reports on social media ofone McDonalds’ AI drive-thru incorrectly thinking a customer had ordered hundreds of dollars of chicken nuggetswhile another location gave a customer an ice cream topped with bacon.It remains to be seen what issues, if any, Taco Bell will face.

Image credit: Yum!