Wendy's will be testing out Google AI Chatbot for Drive Through

quote:

---

Wendy’s is reportedly gearing up to unveil a chatbot-powered drive-thru experience next month, with help from a partnership with Google.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the upcoming rollout will be relegated to a single Wendy’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. According to the outlet, software engineers at the fast food chain have been working with Google to build an AI on top of the tech company’s own large language model. The Wendy’s chatbot will feature words, item names, and acronyms that are unique to the franchise, like “biggie bag” and “JBC” for “junior bacon cheeseburger,” as the outlet points out. The AI will also have the task of understanding various dialects and accents while cutting through background noise like music or people chatting in the backseat.

...Wendy’s Chief Information Officer Kevin Vasconi told the Journal that the chatbot is “probably on average better” than the company’s best customer service rep. That’s good news for Wendy’s, but bad news for employees who are already making around minimum wage. Moreover, the AI is apparently programmed to upsell customers by asking for larger sizes, add-ons, or meals, with orders then being sent to a human line cook.

---