Taco Bell’s experiment with artificial intelligence at the wheel of its drive throughs has become an internet spectacle for all the wrong reasons.
Across social media, clips have exploded featuring the technology blundering through customer orders. One unforgettable video features a customer trying to order 18,000 cups of water, seemingly causing the system to crash.
The fast food chain rolled out its AI system across more than 500 restaurants in the US starting in 2023, hoping to cut down on mistakes and get food to customers faster. Instead, the glitches have multiplied, sometimes with hilarious and other times infuriating results.
Frustrated customers have posted countless clips. A popular one circulating on Instagram, seen over 21 million times, shows a customer requesting a large Mountain Dew while the AI stubbornly repeats, “and what will you drink with that?”
Drive Throughs in the Spotlight
Dane Mathews, Taco Bell’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, admits the launch has been a mixed bag. He said, “Sometimes it lets me down, but sometimes it really surprises me.”
Mathews has now said the company is stepping back to re-examine where this technology should actually be used. He pointed out that during busy times, humans might simply do a better job taking orders. “We’ll help coach teams on when to use voice AI and when it’s better to monitor or step in,” he explained.
The problem is not Taco Bell’s alone. McDonald’s pulled its own AI from drive through lanes last year after ordering chaos—one customer ended up with hundreds of dollars of chicken nuggets on their bill, while another inexplicably got bacon with their ice cream.
Despite all the internet mockery, the voice AI has processed two million orders without a hitch since its launch.
But as the company weighs its next move, it’s clear that sometimes, good old fashioned human interaction still matters—especially if you don’t want bacon in your dessert or a lake’s worth of water cups with your tacos.
