Fast-food giant Wendy’s is set to automate its drive-through service by employing an AI chatbot powered by Google, replacing human employees who normally take orders. One Wendy’s executive gave the chatbot high ratings, saying, “It’s at least as good as our best customer service representative, and it’s probably on average better.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that fast-food chain Wendy’s plans to automate its drive-through service by using an AI chatbot and Google’s natural-language processing technology.
This March 17, 2014, file photo shows a Wendy’s logo outside a Wendy’s restaurant in Pittsburgh. Wendy’s reports financial results Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The drive-through ordering process will be streamlined at Wendy’s restaurants thanks to a collaboration between Google and the fast food chain. The chatbot aims to reduce wait times and boost consistency and speed of service. Wendy’s Chief Executive Todd Penegor stated, “The goal is to get more customers through the drive-through in the shortest amount of time, picking up extra sales for every minute or so shaved off the ordering process.”
Wendy’s software engineers worked with Google to create a generative AI application on top of Google’s large language model (LLM) to ensure seamless communication. The chatbot has been programmed to comprehend the specific slang, abbreviations, and expressions that customers use to order food from Wendy’s.
“It will be very conversational,” said Penegor. “You won’t realize you’re speaking with anyone other than an employee.” But developing a chatbot that can comprehend orders placed at drive-through windows has proven to be challenging. Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, commented, “You may think driving by and speaking into a drive-through is an easy problem for AI, but it’s actually one of the hardest.”
The AI chatbot is programmed to upsell products like larger sizes, drinks, and daily specials in addition to accurately taking orders. The chief information officer for Wendy’s, Kevin Vasconi, said that tests at the Columbus restaurant have gone well. “It’s at least as good as our best customer service representative, and it’s probably on average better,” Mr. Vasconi said.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan