A TikTok user named Ren Adams, who identifies on the platform as resinbirenrevealed an error in the McDonald’s self-service or drive-thru robot on the social network and that generated an intense debate on artificial intelligence (AI), casting doubt on the benefits of this technology.
As a report published on the website of ZD NetAdams shared a video detailing the robot’s movements and cleverly explaining that the machine’s ears weren’t as well tuned to receive its command.
All Adams wanted for breakfast were hash browns, sweet tea, and a Coke. Then, in a second deirve-thru lane, another customer pulls up. The AI-powered helper serving Adams appears to have heard that order and added it to the tiktoker’s.
Adams tried to help the robot and make it all make sense, but instead the AI removed the errant Diet Coke and replaced it with nine sweet teas instead of one.
It is not the only case
Another case was that of Caitlyn Sykora, who ordered $254 of McNuggets. The video is extremely funny because the Internet user does not stop laughing. Who would pay that much for chicken nuggets?
There’s also Madilynn Cameron, wanting a big cup of water and a cup of ice cream and finding out that butter is included. But she gave up.
This invites, again, to reflect on humans vs. robots. When your robot drive-thru employee makes a mistake, who does a customer complain to? Complaining to the machine seems to create an additional layer of complication and poor customer service. And we are talking about McDonald’s.