McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs • Hacker News Board

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#81

Post by cwkoss » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:08 AM UTC

ineedasername wrote: post #56

Lots of people here are saying they should just use a phone app. I see it as problematic to require drivers, even those stopped at a drive through, (you don't generally put your car in park) to use their phone. There are laws against it, and they don't have exclusions for drive through ordering. I'm not even sure that a McDonalds policy that said "put it in park" would pass legal review since the car is on and you're…

I wouldn't want to touch an outdoor drive thru kiosk, I'd imagine it'd get gross very fast.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#82

Post by echang426 » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:08 AM UTC

Great another move to remove the human touch of service from the food industry. If anything I feel like we're still a few years away from being able to have AI sophisticated enough to mimic conversion for people to comfortable enough to use daily for even simple tasks such as taking orders.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#83

Post by rackad » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:09 AM UTC

pmart123 wrote: post #46

cbdumas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I've seen touch screen ordering at McDonalds all over the place and most people seem to have no problem with it. Why do you think people avoid it?

Panera has a great touchscreen experience.

For the past year or so, there are touchscreen monitors in all McDonalds. So they are already replacing slowly employees by machines.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#84

Post by owenmarshall » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:13 AM UTC

echang426 wrote: post #82

Great another move to remove the human touch of service from the food industry. If anything I feel like we're still a few years away from being able to have AI sophisticated enough to mimic conversion for people to comfortable enough to use daily for even simple tasks such as taking orders.

I am fairly violently opposed to automation eliminating human jobs without some type of compensating control, which gets into a political place I don’t want to go right now.

But having said that...

The human touch of fast food ordering? What human touch? There isn’t much conversation that happens with the human that’s there today.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#85

Post by zaroth » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:17 AM UTC

Why would I order with my voice by yelling at a microphone outside my window? How stupid is that?

Obviously I order on my smartphone and a creepy robot hand extends the bag to me as I drive by. The UWB radio in my phone will let them know which car is mine.

Most of the time I’m ordering the same thing for my family of 4 (not at McDonalds, but you get the point) and so two taps later everything is ordered and paid for. This takes like 2.5 seconds from the time the app is launched.

I’m not going to, like, recite out loud the 7 different modifications I made between the sandwiches, toppings, drinks, and sides every time I want something to eat. That would be barbaric.

Next thing you’re going to tell me is I’m supposed to hand a thin plastic rectangular device to a human so they can stick it in some other device just to process my payment!

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#86

Post by burgerzzz » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:18 AM UTC

cbdumas wrote: post #25

Spooky23 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Next they’ll come for the liquidator. The Burger King on the NYS thruway north of nyc went to touchscreen ordering. Everyone refuses to use it and there is one long line going to the one register that remained.

Really? I've seen touch screen ordering at McDonalds all over the place and most people seem to have no problem with it. Why do you think people avoid it?

I would avoid it just because of all of the various fingers that have touched it before me.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#87

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:20 AM UTC

bluedino wrote: post #28

cbdumas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I've seen touch screen ordering at McDonalds all over the place and most people seem to have no problem with it. Why do you think people avoid it?

We have those and they are slow. I wonder when they’ll put them in the drive through.

[deleted]

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#88

Post by noobiemcfoob » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:24 AM UTC

burgerzzz wrote: post #86

cbdumas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I've seen touch screen ordering at McDonalds all over the place and most people seem to have no problem with it. Why do you think people avoid it?

I would avoid it just because of all of the various fingers that have touched it before me.

You mean...like the doorknobs?

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#89

Post by zaroth » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:25 AM UTC

ineedasername wrote: post #56

Lots of people here are saying they should just use a phone app. I see it as problematic to require drivers, even those stopped at a drive through, (you don't generally put your car in park) to use their phone. There are laws against it, and they don't have exclusions for drive through ordering. I'm not even sure that a McDonalds policy that said "put it in park" would pass legal review since the car is on and you're…

Chick-Fil-A handles the queuing order problem by asking you just to confirm who you are at the drive through order station. They don’t start preparing your order until you check in.

> “Mobile order for zaroth!”

> “Thank you!”

Most people order the same thing every time. Open app, click Favorite Reorder button. It can be exactly one tap. Or a Hey Siri if you like.

This is how everyone orders their Starbucks coffee for years now. There’s no liability issue with providing an app to order ahead.

Re: McDonald's is to replace human servers with voice gen in its US drive-throughs

#90

Post by woutr_be » Thu, Sep 12, 2019, 2:25 AM UTC

Spooky23 wrote: post #19

hirundo wrote: post #15

Next they'll come for the cooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCVol2iWcc There are ~487k fast food cooks employed at ~$22.6k average wages. That's more than an $11 billion annual incentive to bring robochefs to retail. And that's just fast food, just in the US. Robo janitors may take a bit longer. Maybe they can design automated kitchens that work like jumbo dish washers. Seal, flood, heat, drain, reopen. The jan…

Next they’ll come for the liquidator. The Burger King on the NYS thruway north of nyc went to touchscreen ordering. Everyone refuses to use it and there is one long line going to the one register that remained.

Here in Hong Kong, every McDonalds has 3+ touch screens, I hardly see anyone lining up at the counter these days. I for one only use the touch screens.