Taco Bell Slows Down AI Rollout After '18,000 Water Cups' Prank Crashes System

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has driven companies worldwide to adopt the technology to cut costs and boost profits. Taco Bell, a major US fast-food chain, followed suit but is now scaling back after AI mishandled orders while some customers exploited the automated system.

The company announced last year that it was expanding the use of voice AI technology to help take and process orders at the drive-through restaurants. At the time, Taco Bell said the move was "designed to enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers". However, the system appears to have already run into difficulties, as per a report in The Wall Street Journal.

One of the customers seemingly crashed the system by ordering 18,000 water cups as prank, while another customer was driven angry after the AI repeatedly asked him to add more drinks to his order.

"We're learning a lot, I'm going to be honest with you. I think, like everybody, sometimes it lets me down but sometimes it really surprises me," said Taco Bell Chief Digital and Technology Officer Dane Mathews.

Mr Mathews admitted that there are times when humans are better placed to take orders, especially when the restaurants get busy.

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Slowing down

The Taco Bell chief said the company was slowing down the technology's rollout while developing specifics of the proper implementation of AI.

"For our teams, we'll help coach them: at your restaurant, at these times, we recommend you use voice AI or recommend that you actually really monitor voice AI and jump in as necessary," said Mr Mathews.

Taco Bell's change in stance comes in the backdrop of an MIT report stating that while generative AI holds promise for enterprises, most initiatives to drive rapid revenue growth are falling flat.

The report highlighted that only five per cent of AI pilot programmes achieve rapid revenue acceleration while the vast majority stall, delivering little to no measurable impact on revenues.

Last year, McDonald's also withdrew AI from one of its drive-throughs after the technology misinterpreted customer orders. The system added bacon to a customer's ice cream while another had hundreds of dollars worth of chicken nuggets mistakenly added to their order.