Taco Bell is rethinking its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to power drive-through restaurants in the US after comical videos of the tech making mistakes were viewed millions of times.
In one clip, a customer seemingly crashed the system by ordering 18,000 water cups, while in another a person got increasingly angry as the AI repeatedly asked him to add more drinks to his order.
Since 2023, the fast-food chain has introduced the technology at over 500 locations in the US, with the aim of reducing mistakes and speeding up orders.
But the AI seems to have served up the complete opposite.
Taco Bell's Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews told The Wall Street Journal that deploying the voice AI has had its challenges.
Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me, he said.
He mentioned the firm was learning a lot - but he would now think carefully about where to use AI going forwards, including not using it at drive-throughs.
In particular, Mr. Matthews stated there are times when humans are better positioned to take orders, especially during busy times.
We'll help coach teams on when to use voice AI and when it's better to monitor or step in, he said.
The issues have been building online as disgruntled customers take to social media to complain about service glitches and issues.
One clip on Instagram, viewed over 21.5 million times, shows a man ordering a large Mountain Dew while the AI voice continually replies, and what will you drink with that?.
This isn't the first time there have been issues with AI misinterpreting food and drink orders. Last year, McDonald's withdrew AI from its own drive-throughs due to similar problems, which resulted in erroneous add-ons to customers' orders.
Despite the viral glitches facing Taco Bell, it has successfully processed two million orders using the voice AI since its introduction.
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