company memo,<\/a> Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski detailed how shifting consumer habits require a higher standard of service as the brand seeks to become consumers\u2019 first choice every time.<\/p>\n\u201cAs more of the customer journey becomes automated, there are fewer opportunities for guests to connect with crew,\u201d Kempczinski wrote. \u201cWith fewer interactions, the bar for hospitality that makes people feel seen, welcomed and valued only goes up.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also noted that navigating unprecedented inflation remains a challenge for the fast-food giant. <\/p>\n
\u201cCustomers also depend on us for compelling, predictable value,\u201d Kempczinski wrote. \u201cWhile perceptions of our value have rebounded in most markets, it\u2019s a reminder that we need to earn, and re-earn, each and every visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Food service experts point out that the goal of such tech is generally to reallocate labor rather than to make immediate job cuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are literally automating a task that was taken by a person,\u201d Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze told ABC News, adding that within 5 to 10 years humans may no longer take McDonald\u2019s orders. \u201cThe stated goal that companies use when they use this is to free up an employee\u2019s time to do something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s previously halted a separate automated ordering test in 2024 following viral social media posts highlighting inaccurate orders. Despite the setback, the company joins competitors such as Taco Bell and Wendy\u2019s in pursuing AI-driven drive-thrus to streamline logistics.<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s has not publicly disclosed the 5 locations where ArchIQ is being tested.<\/p>\n
McDonald\u2019s did not immediately respond to MassLive\u2019s requests for comment on Tuesday. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McDonald\u2019s is piloting a Google-powered artificial intelligence system to handle drive-thru orders at five U.S. locations, signaling a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67971,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[24,132,1429,38045,38046,13370,1749,38042,38044,38043,36394,38041,38047],"class_list":["post-67970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-google","tag-ai","tag-google","tag-google-ai","tag-lincoln-plaza","tag-lincoln-street","tag-logo","tag-ma","tag-masslive","tag-mcdonalds-logo","tag-mcdonalds-store","tag-mcdonalds","tag-store-logo","tag-worcester"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}