Taco Bell expanding AI drive-thru technology in the US

Taco Bell is planning to expand its use of artificial intelligence in drive-thru lanes at hundreds of their restaurants across the country, according to an announcement Wednesday.

Yum Brands, the parent company of the popular Mexican fast-food chain, said they aim to implement the technology at numerous locations in the U.S. before the end of 2024, and globally in the future.

Customers at these restaurants will interface with computers as they place their orders, an idea the company believes will ease workloads, reduce wait times and improve order accuracy, according to the press release.

The voice AI technology has been slowly rolled out over the past two years and has already been in use at Taco Bell locations in 13 different states. The company also opened their first-ever completely digital restaurant in NYC’s Time Square in April.

“Yum Brands is integrating digital and technology into all aspects of our business with exciting new capabilities, and AI is a core piece of that strategy,” said Lawrence Kim, Chief Innovation Officer at Yum Brands.

“We’re expanding and accelerating our AI capabilities like Voice AI to deliver leading-edge technologies to our franchisees and to enhance the consumer and team member experience,” Kim added.

He has praised the advances that Yum Brands has seen in recent years, noting that there’s been $30 billion in sales (roughly half of their total revenue) from digital-first channels.

The integration of AI technology in drive-thrus has become a competitive trend among fast-food chains, but not all have been successful.

McDonald’s recently ended its pilot program with IBM’s Automated Order Taker after customer complaints and viral TikToks, including one where the AI mistakenly added nine sweet teas to a woman’s order.