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The chatbot will be able to take verbal orders from customers who line up at Wendy\u2019s drive-thru kiosks, all with the hope that it will help reduce long wait times. Wendy\u2019s worked with Google to build a tailored chatbot on top of the company\u2019s existing large language model (LLM), which it\u2019s bound to reveal updates about at its Google I\/O event on Wednesday<\/a>. This all goes along with Google\u2019s push into AI, as its Cloud unit sells the idea of companies commissioning their own models for different purposes, built on their own data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Part of Google\u2019s work with Wendy\u2019s means ensuring the AI is brushed up on some of Wendy\u2019s lingo, such as knowing that a \u201cmilkshake\u201d translates to a \u201cFrosty\u201d and that a \u201cJBC\u201d is short for a \u201cjunior bacon cheeseburger.\u201d As soon as a chatbot takes a customer\u2019s order, it will appear on a screen for line cooks. A worker will then hand the completed meals to customers at the pickup window, just like any other order.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n People can barely handle the cashier-less kiosks at Mcdonald\u2019s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a statement to the WSJ<\/em>, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian acknowledged some of the challenges associated with using an AI chatbot at the drive-thru. The bot will have to ignore any noises it hears from kids in the backseat of a vehicle, for example, and will also have to deal with customers who change their minds in the middle of an order. \u201cYou may think driving by and speaking into a drive-through is an easy problem for AI, but it\u2019s actually one of the hardest,\u201d Kurian tells the WSJ<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A Wendy\u2019s employee will monitor the AI-powered drive-thru when it starts testing it in June, likely to ensure customers don\u2019t have a meltdown. Customers will also have the option to speak with a human if the AI can\u2019t get their order right. While the AI chatbot should be able to do everything a human can, including upselling Wendy\u2019s products, Wendy\u2019s tells the WSJ<\/em> that it doesn\u2019t plan to replace existing workers with the technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe new automated ordering experience is designed to enhance the customer and crew experience by taking the complexity out of the ordering process so employees can focus on serving up fast, fresh, quality food and building relationships with fans that keep them coming back,\u201d Kevin Vasconi, the chief information officer at Wendy\u2019s, says in an emailed statement to The Verge<\/em>. \u201cThe restaurant team will continue to monitor the drive-thru to ensure a fast, frictionless ordering experience for customers engaging with\u00a0Wendy\u2019s FreshAI.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Maybe I\u2019m a pessimist, but I\u2019m skeptical about how this works out in the long term. People can barely handle the cashier-less kiosks at Mcdonald\u2019s<\/a>, and now you want them to talk to an AI? Hangry people don\u2019t want to hear about your GPU shortage and how it\u2019s slowing down their orders \u2014 just saying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n