Voice-Recognition AI May Soon Be Taking Your Order

Imagine driving up to your favorite fast food outlet and speaking to someone, then getting a perfect order every time. Managers think implementing AI to take orders can lead to this kind of efficiency, but how will this impact on us and the people who work there?

Can AI Take Your Order?

AI has developed well and continues to become more sophisticated with time. While many of us use AI for common tasks like generating images with StableDiffusion on our local computers, large corporations are seeing different uses for this cutting-edge technology.

Yum! Brands recently announced a plan to roll out a pilot at 100 different Taco Bell locations that uses AI to take people’s orders. According to managers and corporate releases, the company hopes this rollout will improve ordering practices, reduce wait times, and create a better atmosphere for the consumer.

Notably, corporate press releases and interviews have said the company hopes this technology upgrade will allow team members to dedicate their time to other processes. Unfortunately, the truth might differ slightly from what these corporations are willing to say outright.

There Are Definite Benefits to Having AI Take Your Order

AI, combined with voice recognition technology, has the potential to revolutionize fast food. AI’s iterative learning approach means that the more people use it, the better it will be at picking up what a user wants. You might even be able to put your order in on the first listen.

Efficiency also means that there is likely to be less of a line at the drive-through window. With AI picking up orders and passing them through to the kitchen faster, you can probably get in and out of your local Taco Bell’s drive-through faster than ever before. This could be an even bigger deal than ordering restaurant food online!

It’s not just about the consumer, either. AI staffing the order window means an outlet doesn’t need as many people to operate. The problem arises here because team members might lose out on hours when AI takes over the order window. Sure, franchise owners will be able to realize a more significant profit, but that means less employment lower down the chain.

A Big Fear For AI Implementation

One of the looming fears of widespread AI implementation is that it will replace many workers. It’s a slim consolation that you can use AI to write a tailored resume if you’re looking for a new job because of that very same technology. Recent changes to the cost of labor in places like California have led many restaurant owners to look at AI as a way to save their livelihoods.

A recent study sponsored by the National Restaurant Association suggests that as many as 16% of all restaurant owners are considering using AI in their operations. McDonald’s was one of the early movers in the space, setting up their own AI-based ordering system across the country, but this didn’t turn out as the company expected.

In June 2024, McDonald’s announced that it would only run its Automated Ordering Taking (AOT) systems until the end of the year due to problems with order errors. The company isn’t giving up on AI technology but seems to be looking for a partner that can offer more accurate results.

Problems That Plague AI Ordering Technology

AI voice recognition technology can be pretty powerful, but it requires a certain degree of setup. Many of these ordering technologies rely on a solid connection to the Internet to enable API processing. Automated ordering technology might decrease efficiency in fast-food locations with weak or slow connections instead of improving it. Additionally, AI isn’t 100% effective at picking up orders. While it can take orders in various languages, it still has issues with some regional accents.

The biggest hurdle to adoption comes from the older customer demographic. Gen Z prefers dealing with chatbots over humans, but the older generation of customers doesn’t take kindly to dealing with a non-human employee. In a recent survey, baby boomer customers noted that they prefer fewer technology options while dining than their younger counterparts.

From loud ordering locations that might make getting clean audio a challenge to complicated menu items, there are quite a few places where AI ordering systems might encounter problems. However, the biggest elephant in the room isn’t the fact that AI is imperfect. It’s what it could do to the people who make up the core of industry workers.

What About Employees?

Companies like Yum! Brands have said they don’t intend to replace employees at their operations. AI order-taking is supposed to make these employees more flexible in what they can do. However, due to how fast food outlets schedule their workers, this could mean a significant cut in the average worker’s monthly income. AI could effectively reduce workers to numbers.

Given the competitiveness of the fast food market, franchise owners are looking for ways to make fast food more profitable. Minimum wage regulations in some states like California have made it untenable for franchise owners to keep paying their workers. AI seems like a light at the end of the tunnel for them. Even with the problems it could introduce, it could make their businesses more profitable.

There is a real fear that AI will replace workers. However, prevailing wisdom suggests that companies that integrate AI too hard into their systems at the expense of people are likely to be left behind in the long run. A good example is how Adobe used your data to train its AI model. The terms of service broke users’ trust, leading to many abandoning the brand.

Yum! Brands may not replace employees outright, but their use of AI technology doesn’t sit well with many current consumers. Workers’ jobs will likely be safe for a while, but employees still have a lot of uncertainty about their future.

A Shift In How Companies Do Business

AI is transforming industries in the blink of an eye. However, it’s important to remember that employees are essential for any business to thrive. We can only hope that fast food companies take the initiative and reroute their workers’ talents rather than cutting their hours or firing them. AI has the potential to make our lives better or worse. It’s up to us to do our best to get a positive outcome.