McDonald’s Tests Archy, an AI Drive-Thru Voice for English and Spanish
McDonald’s is testing Archy, an AI voice assistant that takes drive-thru orders in English and Spanish. The company presented it at its investor day on 23 September.
According to Restaurant Dive, Archy has achieved over 90% accuracy in early tests. While McDonald’s hasn't disclosed the number of restaurants using it, Fox News reported in June that trials were underway at five US locations.
Archy is part of ArchIQ, a generative AI system designed for restaurant operations. It performs various tasks, including:
- Tracking stock levels
- Monitoring kitchen equipment with cameras
- Weighing orders to ensure completeness before delivery
McDonald’s claims these tools can save each restaurant more than 50 hours of staff time weekly and reduce food waste by up to 15%. ArchIQ leverages Google Cloud edge computers, already installed in thousands of McDonald’s locations, for data processing. The company aims to complete the US rollout in 2027.
“This allows our AI models to make accurate split-second decisions,” said Brian Rice, McDonald’s global chief information officer.
McDonald’s previous attempts at AI ordering included a partnership with IBM which ended in June 2024. Meanwhile, competitors like Taco Bell have made significant strides, implementing voice AI ordering in over 890 US locations.
ArchIQ is part of McDonald’s broader Next strategy, which includes $8.5 billion in franchisee support through 2036. The company will roll out ArchIQ tools in stages starting in 2027, with a full Archy launch date yet to be announced.