mcdonald's drive-thru ai upgrade is real, but it's getting hilariously confused by customers with heavy accents and ordering off-menu items.
Fact-check: This is mostly true. McDonald's has been testing AI voice-ordering at hundreds of drive-thrus since 2021, using technology from IBM and others. Viral videos recently showed the AI struggling with thick Southern drawls, ordering "two McFlurries" when a customer said "two cheeseburgers," and even adding 9 orders of sweet tea to a single car's bill. However, in April 2024, McDonald's quietly confirmed it's ending the global partnership with IBM for this specific AI assistant, citing these accuracy issues. So, the upgrade is real but currently failing, not a hoax.