Customers were supposed to be able to drive up, loudly state their orders into the drive-thru microphone, and then have an AI record all of that, instead of a human crew member. Theoretically, the AI should be able to comprehend more complicated requests, offer recommendations based on past orders and also reduce error, all while simultaneously continuing to provide fast service and without getting bogged down by staffing problems.

Yet McDonald’s is already giving up on the AI drive-thru feature just a few years after introducing it. Viral videos exposed the system as overwhelmed with more simple orders, taking requests from the wrong cars and recommending peculiar food couplings, like ice cream and bacon. Following these public failures, McDonald’s declared that it will no longer use IBM for the partnership after July 31, 2024.

This spectacular flameout raises the question: does AI really have a role to play in the drive-thru of the future, or is ‘Burgerbot’ just destined to be the next in a long line of extremely smart things that fundamentally, scornfully refuse to understand humans and, thus, fail?

The pros of AI drive-thrus 

But McDonald’s woes aside, the benefits that attracted the company and competitors to AI drive-thrus in the first place haven’t disappeared. Labour costs are going up while staff are getting harder to find, so the prospect of having an AI take orders could offer significant cost reductions in the future.

AI systems also promise something extremely compelling: absolute understanding of even the most twisted, crazy customer issues or requests you can think of. Armed with prior ordering data, the AI was able to provide custom recommendations aimed at boosting average spend.

AI ordering, furthermore, could lead to an even speedier, less-friction-filled drive-thru experience. An AI could immediately process an order rather than requiring a human crew member to repeat it back. Those efficiencies could be even more significant during peak hours when cars are sprawled around the building and the drive-thru is jammed.

The negatives – and where McDonald has stumbled

Of course, the viral blunders that shut down McDonald’s AI drive-thru dreams tells a cautionary tale true to life when it comes to some of the real pitfalls with which this new tech grapples. Despite years of training, McDonald’s AI system still seemed to frequently fail at the very core task of taking accurate orders.

And such failures during the ordering process could result in customer dissatisfaction and expensive order inaccuracies – which in turn could wipe out any potential labour savings. And then there is the looming question of whether AI will ever be able to understand the constant stream of idiosyncratic phrasings, accents, and off-menu requests as well as humans.

The McDonald’s experience also hints at the “uncanny valley” challenge of AI-powered ordering. While often impressive, the current state of AI can still produce responses that seem almost human, but not quite – leading to an unsettling experience for some customers. A human voice actor may be required to dub over the AI.

The future of AI drive-thrus 

Despite pulling the plug on its initial system, the fast food giant still believes AI will be a big player in the drive-thrus of the future. The IBM project, which testing gave the company “confidence that a voice ordering solution for drive-thru will be part of our restaurants’ future,” is part of a broader effort by McDonald’s to develop “long-term, scalable solutions,” a company spokesperson said.

Chipotle, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut are among a number of other big chains that are also making big moves to integrate AI drive-thru ordering into their businesses. The stakes are high, with the entire industry standing to save billions in labour costs if this technology works.

The consensus among most experts, however, is that AI drive-thru ordering is just beginning and that major milestones must still be met before it goes truly universal. But with AI language models advancing so fast, it may not be long before the ordering-caution and other ordering issue plaguing McDonald’s will be a thing of the past.

There may also be a phased handoff period where passengers have the choice of interacting with an AI or a human flight attendant. It might build rapport and increase trust over time, which might be an advantage for AI drive-thrus.

But at the end of the day, it sounds like McDonalds was still a few months to years ahead of the curve and just rolled this out more aggressively than it should have right away. Or, as one Silicon Valley investor quipped yesterday: “You can’t be a pioneer without taking a few arrows in the back.” For the fast-food industry, streamlining drive-thrus with AI remains the next frontier – it’s just going to take more time.

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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Artificial intelligence (AI), once thought to be the exclusive domain of big cities and tech hubs, is making its way to the furthest corners of rural Ireland, empowering locals with cutting-edge tools to boost their businesses and preserve their traditional crafts.

It is all part of Microsoft’s ambitious ‘Skill Up Ireland’ initiative, which aims to provide every person in Ireland with the opportunity to learn AI skills. The program has partnered with the Irish government and various organisations to deliver AI training and resources to communities across the country, leaving no one behind in the era of rapid technological advancement.

One recent beneficiary of this program is Andrew Murray, the general manager of the 22-room Doonmore Hotel on Inishbofin. A native of the island, Murray comes from a family that has lived on Inishbofin for generations, with his parents founding the hotel in 1969. Despite the remote location, Murray is eager to embrace AI as a tool to streamline his operations and save time.

“What I’m interested in the most is the power of AI to save time for people like me,” Murray said. “Because time is the most precious thing we have, and it’s finite. There are only 24 hours in a day.”

Through an AI introduction class, Murray discovered the possibilities of tools such as Microsoft Copilot, an AI-powered assistant for everything from scheduling to data analysis to creating content. He intends to use these tools to oversee things like scheduling staff and inventory management as well as invoicing and pricing – tasks that he has normally spent hours, if not days, doing completely manually.

But Murray is not alone in his enthusiasm for AI on Inishbofin. Catherine O’Connor, a weaver who draws inspiration from the island’s natural colors and textures, has also embraced the technology. Initially wary of the AI training, O’Connor quickly became “absorbed by it” once she realised its potential to help her market her handmade scarves, table runners, and wall hangings.

“Every piece has a story behind it,” O’Connor explained. “You can get a scarf at the five-and-dime store, but a handmade scarf takes hours and hours to make. It’s a totally different level. So you have to find the right words to use.”

Now, with the help of Copilot, O’Connor can write engaging descriptions of her creations for marketing her craft on a proper e-commerce platform and help people understand her work more accurately and visualise the creation.

Another Copilot user, Inishbofin-based florist Patricia Concannon, plans to also use Copilot to make her website and Instagram captions more engaging which should prove useful in helping her reach new customers and attracting a wider audience for her floral displays.

The AI training on Inishbofin is just one element of Microsoft’s wider ‘Skill Up Ireland’ programme aimed at upskill and reskill over in Ireland, which includes Dream Space, an immersive learning experience to introduce STEM and AI skills to every one of the country’s one million students and their teachers.

Kevin Marshall, head of Learning & Skills for Microsoft Ireland, said the rapid growth in the prevalence of AI in the last few years has necessitated upskilling and reskilling programmes. He continued: “At the same time, with the explosion of generative AI in the last 18 months, there’s a real need to educate people on what this is, to show them that it’s not black magic.

The challenge, however, lies in the ever-evolving nature of AI technology. “The teaching is non-invasive, it’s collaborative,” Marshall explained. “The programs teach the basic foundations and core principles of AI. Here’s what it can do. Here are the risks and the ethical issues. Here are the opportunities. And here’s where you go play with it.”

Programmes like ‘Skill Up Ireland’ are an opportunity for rural communities like Inishbofin not to be left behind through the digital divide as AI significantly impacts industries and the way that we live and work. Audrey Murray, a felt artist and teaching assistant on the island, summed it up: “AI has to be another step, I suppose, bringing us closer to the world and bringing the world here.”

And with Microsoft’s promise of creating AI skills for all in Ireland, the remote extremities of the Emerald Isle are on the brink of being catapulted into the future, when the very latest technologies are melded with ancient skills and lifeways. Meanwhile, for the inhabitants of Inishbofin, the opportunities are yet to reveal themselves.

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

The post AI comes to Ireland’s remote Islands through Microsoft’s ‘Skill Up’ program appeared first on AI News.