Some employees fear that artificial intelligence could one day take their jobs, and the AI-powered Mcdonald's drive-thru is an example of that. Although, it also shows that there are some things that our current artificial intelligence technology is not capable of yet.
The Faulty AI Drive-Thru
McDonald's added an AI-powered automated machine to take orders at its drive-thru, perhaps to streamline the process. However, it is doing the exact opposite as it fails to comprehend what the customers are trying to order.
The fast-food giant started testing the AI drive-thru around June 2021 when the company acquired Apprente, which develops AI conversational agents in 2019, according to Gizmodo. The technology was tested in ten locations in Chicago.
CEO Chris Kempczinski claims that the AI system was 85% accurate, although reports say that the company expected a higher accuracy rate of 95% before it was launched. People who experienced ordering from the AI drive-thru posted their experiences online.
One user who goes by @themadivlog on TikTok tried ordering vanilla ice cream and a cup of water, and the video shows that the AI was struggling to understand the order. After some corrections, the order even ended up with an additional ketchup packet and butter.
@themadivlog How did I end up a butter #fyp ♬ The Office - The Hyphenate
Another user tried ordering Mountain Dew for a drink and the AI registered a medium Coke instead. The AI also did not understand when the customer said it got the order wrong and ended up canceling the order to start over.
Other franchises have also been trying out the capabilities of an AI with their drive-thru including Panera, Popeyes, Checkers, and Wendy's. All it shows is that the AI system needs a bit more work to accommodate the orders of its customers.
AIs Occupying Jobs
It's not a new concept for technology to take over the job of a man. Businesses will usually opt for machines because they can be cheaper and more efficient. In fact, a lot of manufacturing jobs are now taken over by machines, specifically 1.7 million since 2000.
It was predicted that AI will create 97 million new jobs by 2025, according to Built In. As sad as it is, AI may someday replace healthcare, agricultural, and industrial workers, and jobs in robotics and software engineering will take its place.
Experts say that various professions will start to become automated in the next five to ten years. Some of these jobs include warehouse and manufacturing jobs, customer service, research and data entry, and long-haul trucking.
According to the CEO of Sinovation Ventures and AI Expert Kai-Fu Lee, around 50% of jobs will be automated in 15 years, which he wrote in an essay in 2018. Similar studies by the McKinsey Global Institute, Oxford University, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict the same.
Of course, there are still a great many jobs that can never be replaced by AI. Until someone finds a way to incorporate the sentiency humans have into code, that will never change.
