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is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
Dairy Queen is becoming the latest fast food chain to get in on AI, as it’s bringing a chatbot to dozens of its drive-thrus across the US and Canada. It aims to help speed up drive-thru service and “encourage customers to add more food to their orders,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Following a test last year, Dairy Queen is widely launching the tech built by Presto, an AI company that already works with chains like Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Taco John’s, and Fazoli’s. In 2023, a report from Bloomberg revealed that Presto’s AI drive-thrus may actually be assisted by human workers based in locations like the Philippines.
Presto’s chatbot takes orders correctly about 90 percent of the time, The Wall Street Journal reports. Kevin Baartman, Dairy Queen’s executive vice president of IT, tells The Journal that the company tested the AI chatbot on a day when the chain offered free ice cream cones to customers and that “the bots responded to lines of cars and never got crabby.”
Along with Dairy Queen, Wendy’s began experimenting with Google-powered AI drive-thrus in 2023, while McDonald’s briefly piloted a chatbot-powered drive-thru as well. Last year, a Taco Bell exec said he’s going to reevaluate where to roll out the chain’s AI drive-thrus after customers expressed frustration with the chatbot (and some attempted to troll it). And while Burger King is testing AI drive-thrus in fewer than 100 restaurants, it’s putting a chatbot inside employees’ headphones to measure their “friendliness” and help with meal prep.
Dairy Queen doesn’t specify the locations of its new AI drive-thrus, only that rollout will launch in “select” franchises across the US and Canada.
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