"Would you really like to have your order messed up?"

[gunug]

Would you like fries with your fries?

McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice-based technology in its US drive-throughs.

The fast-food chain hopes the AI technology will make the ordering process more efficient.

McDonald's is implementing the technology with the help of start-up Apprente, which it acquired this week.

The move comes amid concern about workers whose jobs may become obsolete as a result of automation and new technologies.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49664633

[Xairbusdriver]

From what I've seen of my rare visits to Micky D's, there is no need of any human on the property. These jobs were never intended for adults with rent/house payments.

My wife worked in a tiny town's burger joint as a teenager. Her "benefits" including eating all the curly-topped ice cream cones she messed up! Fortunately, she was a fast learner and did not become over-weight!! It was not an exciting job but it was sure better than picking cotton by hand!! ...speaking of jobs taken over by machines.

[jwboyd]

Can AI technology be taught to say, "You want cheese on that?" after you order a BigMac with no cheese.

[Xairbusdriver]

Can AI technology be taught to say, "You want cheese on that?"

Of course, in fact, it will probably ignore any response with "no" in it. "I understand you want 13 cheeseburgers with extra cheese. If that is correct, please check your credit rating before paying. If that is not correct, just ignore the honking from the other drivers in line. Please remember that we have a picture of your license plate and we have a contracted bill collector. Thank you for your order. You are important to our bottom line."

[kimmer]

Who needs AI technology to mess things up? Phone call today from a lady who is a member of an organization that I belong to, and she said the words "fund raising", and I said, "Oh, thanks, X, but I'm not interested."

Miss X never once stopped talking, she just got louder and kept talking over me. I'm afraid I'd had a rough day, and she truly annoyed me, so I YELLED into the phone:

NO! NO! NO! I'M NOT INTERESTED!

and then I hung up the phone.

Boy, I sure did miss my old land line phone where I could have banged the receiver down. 

[jchuzi]

You can't argue with a robocall, which (evidently) this was.

[Xairbusdriver]

No need to yell (although I know the feeling ), most phone lines/devices have volume limiters and they are very low fidelity devices, anyway. That's the main reason "music" played while on hold is always atrocious! Simply hanging up will terminate the call. Even a robot gets "tired" of listening to itself.

[gunug]

We have a Subway with a drive up touch screen and you think with all of the choices enumerated on the menu you could expect the order to be correct.
Not so much! Humans still make the things and they don't read what you are asking for; they just glance at it and slap something together. I've also gotten someone else's order when I've paid for me own!