Just my imagination, running away with me. – The Temptations
Some time ago, I stopped into a Wendy’s because my youngest child was begging for a Frosty. We pulled up to the menu and an automated voice said we could order whenever we were ready. I placed the order and watched as my items appeared on the screen exactly as I stated them. The automated voice thanked me and told me to drive around to the window. It wasn’t until I got to the window that I was greeted by an actual human, who then collected my money and handed me the order.
Wendy’s FreshAi ordering assistant will record your voice and use it for quality assistance. By continuing your order with FreshAi, you consent to this recording. You can say CREW MEMBER at any time to stop using FreshAi.
Fast forward and just recently my child begged for another Frosty, so I stopped into a different Wendy’s—this one closer to my home. I quickly recognized that the screen was similar to the AI-driven one I’d encountered before; however, an actual human took my order and instructed me to drive around.
As I paid for my order, I shared my previous experience with the older lady at the drive-thru. I told her that eventually there’d be no humans taking our orders at the Wendy’s drive-thru, and quite possibly, no humans preparing the food. A totally AI-driven restaurant.
She laughed and said, “There’ll always be humans working in here. Don’t you worry.”
I didn’t share her laughter, because the reality was already staring us both in the face. One day soon, that Wendy’s AI system will take orders like the other Wendy’s system is already doing, with no need to have a human collect my money or hand me my order.
Workers, who are already barely getting by because fast food restaurants are notorious for being low-paying entities despite the coins upon coins they rake in, will see their hours cut and jobs eliminated. Once Wendy’s has gotten one sequence of the AI handoff operating efficiently, they won’t stop until as much of the restaurant experience is AI driven as possible.
I’m willing to bet that very thing is happening right now. They didn’t “upgrade” these screens for a better customer experience or due to a lack of employees to work the drive-thru. They did it because the goal is to eliminate as many humans—who require payment for services rendered—from the process as possible in the hopes of shoring up their profits. Profiteering is an insatiable monster. Once you got a lot, you can’t get enough—if that makes sense. And that lady, the one who chuckled at my “imagination running away with me” and believed that Wendy’s will always need humans to work in its restaurants? AI is already coming for her job like it did at the other Wendy’s. The next time we stop in for a Frosty, I wouldn’t be surprised if AI is working her old shift.
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