Taco Bell begins AI drive-thru takeover with hundreds of locations expected by the end of year

In today's world, AI technology has found its way into every aspect of daily life -- from voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to people using Chat GPT to find answers to questions. And now, this rising technological advancement could be making its way to a Taco Bell drive-thru near you.

Yum Brands, the parent company of the popular fast food spot, confirmed today that it will utilize its Voice AI technology in hundreds of locations by the end of the year. And this is only the beginning.

"With over two years of fine-tuning and testing the drive-thru voice AI technology, we're confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction," Lawrence Kim, Yum's chief innovation officer, said in a press release.

Although the announcement was today, AI has already begun in different locations in the US and Australia. And so far, it is said that it has been a success amongst both the consumers and the employees of the restaurant, which is kinda surprising to me -- at least from the employee standpoint.

When I take a step to look at the AI situation, I am very conflicted about where I stand on it. In some ways, it can be helpful as it increases speed and accuracy, but it also has some negatives. The two main ones are taking away jobs from human workers and the increasing lack of social interaction.

Is it much easier to go to a self-checkout when at the grocery store? Yes. Would it increase speed to have robots making food? Yes. But with the way prices are these days, people need jobs, and it is still nice to see a smiling face every now and then.

That said, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk, and I hope this prepares you for when you hear a robotic voice in a Taco Bell drive-thru in the near future.