Taco Bell’s AI drive-thru plan gets caught up on trolls and glitches

Taco Bell’s program to outfit hundreds of drive-thrus with an AI dependable adjunct isn’t going precisely arsenic the concatenation expected. Dane Mathews, Taco Bell’s main integer and exertion officer, admitted to The Wall Street Journal that the institution is re-evaluating wherever to deploy the tech arsenic customers air their frustrations connected societal media, and others station videos of their attempts to troll the system, like ordering 18,000 h2o cups.

“We’re learning a lot, I’m going to beryllium honorable with you,” Mathews told the WSJ. “I deliberation similar everybody, sometimes it lets maine down, but sometimes it truly surprises me.”

Since announcing plans to put AI successful the drive-thru past year, Taco Bell has deployed the tech successful implicit 500 locations crossed the US, according to the WSJ. Other fast-food chains are experimenting with AI, too, including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and White Castle.

Mathews tells the outlet that portion the institution inactive plans connected pushing up with AI dependable technology, he’s discovered that utilizing AI exclusively successful the drive-thru astatine precise engaged restaurants mightiness not beryllium specified a large thought aft all.