McDonald's testing new AI ordering technology at some drive-thrus
McDonald's is testing a new AI-powered drive-thru technology at five of its U.S. locations that could eventually replace the familiar exchange of pulling up and placing a fast food order with a human employee.
For decades, drive-thru ordering has relied on human workers to take customer orders. Now, McDonald's is testing artificial intelligence technology that could automate the process entirely.
The popular fast food chain revealed the new system, called ArchIQ, a Google-powered AI ordering platform, at the company's 2026 worldwide convention last week.
According to a McDonald's franchise owner, the new tech is nicknamed "Archy." A video shared by the franchise owner on X shows how the AI system greets customers and takes orders, pausing to process any changes or requests from the customer before displaying the finalized order and total on a screen and prompting the customer to "pull ahead" for pickup.
ArchIQ is capable of taking orders in both English and Spanish and can respond to repeat customers who ask, "Can I get my usual?", according to the franchise owner, who wrote on X that "90% of orders" so far had been "completed without human escalations."
In a recent company memo, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company is launching a new strategy as "more of the customer journey becomes automated," meaning "there are fewer opportunities for guests to connect with crew."
"With fewer interactions, the bar for hospitality that makes people feel seen, welcomed, and valued only goes up," Kempczinski wrote. "Customers also depend on us for compelling, predictable value, and even more so with unprecedented inflation. While perceptions of our value have rebounded in most markets, it’s a reminder that we need to earn, and re-earn, each and every visit."
Experts say the move from McDonald's could ultimately mark a major shift in how fast-food companies operate.
"You are literally automating a task that was taken by a person," Jonathan Maze, editor-in-chief of Restaurant Business, told ABC News. "The stated goal that companies use when they use this is to free up an employee's time to do something else."
While McDonald's has previously experimented with automated ordering, the company shelved a 2024 test after videos of incorrect orders went viral on social media, according to Restaurant Business.
Despite those setbacks, fast-food companies are continuing to invest in automation. Taco Bell and Wendy's previously announced that they had launched their own AI-powered drive-thru ordering systems.
Maze said the trend could significantly reshape the industry in the years ahead.
"You can imagine a future five, 10 years down the line, where no orders at McDonald's are actually taken by a human being," he said.
Reactions to McDonald's new AI drive-thru tech have been largely negative on social media so far, with many responding to the franchise owner's post last week by saying they prefer to interact with human workers. A few X users, however, said they prefer the idea of a more streamlined, tech-forward ordering system.
McDonald's has not yet confirmed any plans for a broader rollout of its AI ordering technology. The company has emphasized that the system is intended to improve speed, accuracy and experience for customers and crew, not replace jobs.
