Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters
But the AI seems to have served up the complete opposite.
Since 2023, the fast-food chain has introduced the technology at over 500 locations in the US, with the aim of reducing mistakes and speeding up orders.
In one clip, a customer seemingly crashed the system by ordering 18,000 water cups, while in another a person got increasingly angry as the AI repeatedly asked him to add more drinks to his order.
Taco Bell is rethinking its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to power drive-through restaurants in the US after comical videos of the tech making mistakes were viewed millions of times.
Taco Bell's Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews told The Wall Street Journal that deploying the voice AI has had its challenges.
"Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me," he said.
He said the firm was "learning a lot" - but he would now think carefully about where to use AI going forwards, including not using it at drive-throughs.
In particular, Mr Matthews said, there are times when humans are better placed to take orders, especially when the restaurants get busy.
"We'll help coach teams on when to use voice AI and when it's better to monitor or step in," he said.
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