McDonald's temporarily resigns from using artificial intelligence in their restaurants. IBM's AI has previously helped, among others, when handling drive-thru orders.
McDonald's won't replace employees with robots?
If you have been to any McDonald's restaurant in Poland, you have probably come across special kiosk machines that allow you to order a meal without contacting a live salesperson. This suggested that the company was open to technological innovations and might even want to lay off human staff who would be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. Is this really the case?
The hamburger giant announced the end of cooperation with IBM. It was about implementing artificial intelligence into the chain's catering establishments. AI helped with drive-thru orders, i.e. orders placed from a car at a special window in a restaurant. McDonald's used the IBM Watson language model to help order food and drinks.
McDonald's cooperation with IBM has lasted since 2021. Initially, as indicated by the management of the first company, the technology giant seemed to be an ideal partner for the restaurant chain.
AI will be back!
However, this does not mean completely cutting off from AI solutions. Last December, McDonald's signed a deal with Google. This is intended to enable the use of artificial intelligence in company structures.
AI is to appear in the giant's mobile application and in the already mentioned self-service kiosks that help in ordering hamburgers, fries and drinks. The chatbot is also intended to help train restaurant employees. He is to provide instructions on how to handle the company's equipment (this means that the company will need living people for some time). Artificial intelligence is also to be used by management staff in preparing business analyses.
Finally, the bad news: if you lose on cryptocurrencies this cycle, you may no longer find a job even at McDonald's (without taking anything away from the chain's employees). Your potential job – selling not necessarily healthy burgers in a bun – may soon be performed by AI-powered robots! So traders, keep trying!
