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Would You Like AI With That?
WENDY’S
FAST-FOOD CHATBOT: Wendy’s AI-powered drivethrough is designed to take orders from customers.
The next time you pull into a drive-through, it might not be a person taking your order. Instead, it could be an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program, designed to mimic human intelligence. The fast-food chain Wendy’s has developed an AI chatbot to test at some locations. The software will simulate human conversation.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
A SIDE OF FRIES: Wendy’s AI chatbot is also designed to encourage customers to add more food to their order.
The program, created with the tech company Google, was trained to recognize terms customers might use. To do its job, the program must know when to ignore background voices and how to understand confusing orders. For now, Wendy’s employees will need to monitor the AI to make sure customers get exactly what they asked for.
In 2022, about 4,000 Americans were polled about whether artificial intelligence would make their life easier or harder. The circle graph below shows how they responded. How does the percentage of people who think AI will make life much easier compare with those who think it will make life much harder?
Source: YouGov