""We're learning a lot, I'm going to be honest with you," Taco Bell chief digital and technology officer Dane Mathews conceded to the Wall Street Journal , in what sounded like an awfully weary tone. The response on social media suggests that most customers probably don't want their drive-thru to "surprise" them. At best, there 's short-lived amusement in messing with the AI with outrageous requests, like "18,000 cups of water." At worst, customers just get annoyed or weirded out ."
"That's undoubtedly true, but it raises the question: what's the point of using it, then? We're told that AI isn't here to take our jobs but to alleviate our burdens; evidently it can't even do that. The AI's brain melts like a three cheese blend when asked to perform a supposedly low-skilled job done perfectly well by bored teenagers."
Taco Bell rolled out AI-powered drive-thrus to 500 U.S. locations and encountered significant customer backlash and uneven results. Company executives admitted the system produces both surprising successes and disappointing failures. Social media reactions range from brief amusement at trolling attempts to widespread annoyance and discomfort with the interaction. Executives suggested that very busy restaurants with long lines may be better served by human staff. Critics question whether AI improves or degrades routine, low-skill customer service tasks that humans currently perform reliably, and whether automation delivers the promised burden relief.
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