Credits: Social Media
Video of futuristic Wendy’s AI drive-thru leaves some uneasy as technology ‘takes over’
A video of Wendy’s AI drive-thru has gone viral on TikTok, and the new technology is dividing opinion.
The fast food chain announced the revolutionary change in early 2023, and is slowly rolling it out across the US.
Video of Wendy’s AI drive-thru
In the viral video which has had almost 16 million views, a woman pulls up to a Wendy’s drive-thru, where an automated voice says: “Welcome to Wendy’s, what would you like?”
“Can I have a chocolate Frosty?” she asks, to which the robot voice replies: “What size for the chocolate Frosty?”
She asks for a medium and the automated system finds out if she wants anything else before telling her to pull up to the next window.
The technology uses artificial intelligence to listen to your voice, take your order and reply with human-like, conversational responses.
“AI taking over,” she wrote in the caption. “Nah fam. I’m not for this.”
FreshAI launches across the US
The technology is called Wendy’s FreshAI, and it’s a partnership between the food giant and Google Cloud’s AI program.
“We created�Wendys FreshAI�to overcome the challenges traditional AI could not solve in the drive-thru, including understanding casual conversation with customers and handling Wendys menu full of customizations and configurations,” a press release says.
It underwent months of testing and is now active across four company restaurants in the Columbus, OH area, as well as some others across the United States. Wendy’s plans to continue rolling it out across 2024.
The system is designed to increase speed and accuracy by digitally taking orders, and one test showed that it increased service times by 22 seconds.
“Wendys FreshAI�allows our crew to focus on what matters most: preparing and serving hot and delicious food customized for our fans and building the relationships that bring them back,” Wendy’s said.
AI drive-thru leaves some uneasy
While some are a bit freaked out at the idea of saying thank you to a robot, others think it’s a genius way to use AI.
One person commented: “This is what AI should be used for.”
“Faster and doesn’t get my order wrong. I’m all for this,” said another.
A third person agreed: “This is one of the best uses I’ve seen for AI.”
However, someone else said they will be ordering inside in future if the technology is implemented in their town.
“Not sure how I feel about this,” said another.
Someone else added: “I’d rather talk to a person.”
“Everyone is getting replaced with AI,” another feared.
Is this the future of fast food?
