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Wendy’s Drive-thrus Get an AI Upgrade

The next time you order a frosty, there’s a high chance you’ll be talking to a robot. Wendy’s has decided humans are too slow at drive-thrus and that AI-enabled voices are guaranteed to get your order right in just over a minute (unless you have an extra cool accent, in which case it’s safe to say all bets are off).

Wendy’s is expanding its Artificial Intelligence partnership with Google, where the company’s “FreshAI” chatbot is all about integrating AI with Wendy’s app, in-restaurant kiosks, and mobile devices with a multi-channel approach to provide the best experience for customers — however they choose to order. 

So far, one of the chain’s test sites has yielded service times that were 22 seconds faster than the Columbus market average. In terms of accuracy, FreshAI successfully handled 86% of orders without staff intervention, a number that is expected to improve as the AI model continues to iterate. What’s more, Wendy’s has also started accepting Shiba Inu (SHIB) as a means of payment.

Good old human experience, minus the eye-rolling from a moody employee

So, what does this mean for customers? (apart from the AI not being able to judge you for ordering extra fries). Well, no more being in the passenger seat shouting at the top of your voice or replying to “Can you please repeat that again?” multiple times. But that does not mean the days of misheard orders are completely gone. Wendy’s drive-thru looks exactly like the good old human experience, minus the eye-rolling from a moody teenage employee. If you get nostalgic for some human interaction or the AI mistakes your ‘shake’ for ‘steak’, you can still chat with a real person.

The reactions so far have been controversial. Where some customers have praised the efficiency, others miss arguing with cranky employees. Ah, technology, always disrupting our cherished traditions. But the question still remains: will these AI-powered drive-thrus stay sustainable in the long run? Can they block out the noise of crying kids and rowdy friends in the backseat? Only time will tell.