Taco Bell is reassessing its voice AI ordering system after a series of viral blunders at the drive-through. The company has deployed AI at more than 500 locations, but not all experiences have gone smoothly, one customer famously “ordered” 18,000 water cups just to get transferred to a human.
Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Matthews told The Wall Street Journal that even he has had mixed results: “Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me.”
Instead of a blanket rollout, Taco Bell is weighing a more situational approach. Franchisees may decide whether AI is best for their locations, with humans stepping in at peak times or when lines get long. “We’ll help coach them … at your restaurant, at these times, we recommend you use voice AI or … really monitor voice AI and jump in as necessary,” Matthews said.
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For now, the company’s drive-through future looks like a hybrid, humans and AI sharing the mic.
