Taco Bell hits pause on AI drive-thrus after viral 18,000-cup water order exposes glitches

Taco Bell is reassessing its use of voice-enabled AI at U.S. drive-thrus after viral videos highlighted botched orders, including a clip showing an attempt to buy 18,000 water cups. The chain rolled out the technology to more than 500 locations starting in 2023 to improve accuracy and speed, but executives now say the system needs tighter guardrails and human oversight, especially during peak times. “Sometimes it lets me down, sometimes it really surprises me,” said Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews, who added the company will coach teams on when to lean on AI and when to step in. The move underscores the broader fast-food industry’s struggle to balance efficiency gains with reputational risk: McDonald’s recently pulled back an AI drive-thru pilot after high-profile misfires. Taco Bell says the system has successfully handled about two million orders, but a human-in-the-loop model may be the near-term reality for quick-service automation.

Read more