Four Auckland Burger King drive-thrus are now fully operated by Artifical Intelligence.
Video / Alyse Wright, Corey Fleming
Burger King’s newest team member might catch you by surprise next time you’re at the drive-thru.
That’s because four of its Auckland restaurants are now fully operated by AI, the fast-food franchise has confirmed.
The “conversational system”, which Burger King has been trialling for a few months, greets customers and takes orders at the drive-thru speaker before directing them to the pick-up window.
“It’s been really helpful with taking orders, I’m able to multitask a little better and most of the customers love it,” Burger King Westgate manager Tyler Chisholm told Focus.
The New Zealand Herald Focus team gave the AI system a go and while it was a little slow to process more complicated questions such as whether the Whopper Jr had pickles in it, it was polite and - more importantly - accurate.
“During this interaction, guests have the opportunity to customise their orders, change their minds, much like with any other team member,” a Burger King spokesperson said in a statement.
“Using AI allows us to delight our guests every time with a fast, accurate, and courteous service.”
Burger King has been trialling the new Hi Auto AI system in a handful of restaurants. Photo / Alyse Wright
Burger King said there would be no loss to staff positions.
Hi Auto chief business officer Daniel Dreymann said the system was never intended to replace humans, but to make the fast-food work environment more enjoyable for staff.
“It’s about taking away some tasks that are unpleasant, repetitive and taxing on them,” Dreymann said.
“Being able to delegate one of those tasks to AI and not have to care about it removes a lot of the cognitive load and therefore allows people to enjoy the job better.”
Dreymann said the system had reduced the turnover of staff, increasing retention by up to 17 per cent at restaurants that used it.
The AI’s voice is also fully customisable, with Burger King using two of its own staff members to develop a Kiwi accent.
“We have the ability at Hi Auto to clone voices so if you want your voice to be the voice to greet people at the drive-thru, we give you a sheet of things to say and we can program the AI to use your voice to be the order taker,” Dreymann said.
“Some of our customers in the US have even done it with local celebrities, like a local football legend in Ohio.”
Burger King is so far the only New Zealand fast-food restaurant using the technology. The chain said staff feedback had been positive.
“Our team members have commented that they find it reduces the stress they can experience from needing to take orders, process payments and bag orders all at the same time,” a spokesperson said.
“They can then focus on ensuring the burgers are made well and the orders are complete before handing over to the customer.”
