Wendy’s is embracing the future of fast food with a new bilingual AI-powered drive-thru system.
Following in the footsteps of Taco Bell‘s recent AI initiatives, Wendy’s is now offering Spanish-language AI order-taking at 28 drive-thru locations in Florida and Ohio. These locations have been specifically chosen due to their high populations of Spanish-speaking residents, with over 22% of Florida’s population speaking Spanish at home.
Wendy’s has been gradually implementing AI in its operations, using FreshAI, powered by Google Cloud’s large language model, since late last year. Although McDonald’s has paused its current AI drive-thru initiatives in favor of human employees, the company has expressed its belief that AI will play a role in its future.
Here’s how Wendy’s new system works: When a customer arrives at the drive-thru, an AI voice greets them and asks for their order in English, which remains the default language. However, if the customer says “Spanish” or “Español,” the AI will switch to Spanish for the entire interaction.
The goal of this technology is to streamline operations by allowing the AI to handle order-taking, freeing up employees for other tasks. This, Wendy’s suggests, leads to more accurate orders and faster service, as the AI is not distracted by other duties.
However, the introduction of AI in drive-thrus has sparked some concerns. Critics worry about potential job losses, the possibility of AI misunderstanding accents or regional dialects, and difficulties with handling complex or unusual orders.
While AI may struggle with specialized requests or questions about the menu, some, including the article’s author, have found AI-driven ordering systems to be faster and more accurate than human workers, especially when it comes to order modifications.
Wendy’s has indicated plans to expand this technology to more locations in the future.