“Machines will take over the world!” has been circling the minds of consumers for years and years. A little bit of a joke and a little bit of a future prediction. Well, it seems that the future may be here! McDonald’s has recently begun testing automated voice ordering at their Chicago Drive-Thrus.
This new automated voice trial is taking place at ten locations in the Chicago area. According to Nations Restaurant News, the new automated system can handle 80% of orders with about 85% accuracy. That’s not awful; in fact, it’s better than many chain restaurants that use human beings! KFC averages an order accuracy of about 70%.
Employees are currently being trained to work side-by-side with these automated systems.
Don’t worry though, most of these technologies are in the beta phase and won’t be ready for implementation in even the next five years. But, if McDonald’s is the indication for the future, we’ll be getting used to automated systems in no time.