WOULD YOU LIKE AI WITH THAT?

TL;DR —

An AI voice order system at a McDonald’s allegedly added 300 chicken nuggets without the customer’s say-so. Funny, yes — and also a warning about rushing to deploy untested AI into the chaos of real-time retail.

The news —

According to a story in the NY Times, a customer reported the AI drive-thru misheard and added 300 nuggets to their order.

Why it matters —

• Speed vs. trust: Voice AI promises faster lines and labor savings, but one wild miss erodes confidence fast.

• Brand moment: Viral “AI fail” clips travel farther faster on social media than customers fleeing the drive-thru.

Between the lines —

• Drive-thru chaos isn’t new: background noise, car engines, and strong accents have always been tricky for order accuracy.

• AI makes mistakes differently than humans: instead of forgetting the fries, it might confidently serve 300 unsolicited nuggets.

• Automation shortcuts add risk: some chains let AI send orders straight to the kitchen without a final “Are you sure?”… which prompts an additional question: are you sure you want to do that?

By the numbers —
According to a report from McDonald’s, the fast-food chain sells 700 million pounds of McNuggets each year in the US alone. Which means a ~1–2% mis-order rate at peak volumes can chew margin via refunds, food waste, and longer average service times.

What’s next —

• Human backup: A quick read-back on screen or by staff before the kitchen gets the order.

• Safety checks: Built-in limits on item counts and prices, plus extra “are you sure?” prompts when the system isn’t confident.

• Smooth handoff: If the AI struggles, it should instantly pass the order to a human without slowing things down.

What to watch —

The question now: trust the bots, or go back to teenagers with headsets?