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McDonald's puts the brakes on AI in the drive through

Author

Brett Bouchard
June 22, 2024

Wise Tech - Technology news for seniors.

Would you be game to have AI serve your lunch? (Notice the distorted, misspelled words on the sign. GenAI still needs some improvement to equal humans.)

1. McDonald's Pauses Its AI Push

What’s the tech? McDonald's AI-powered drive-thru ordering system was designed to take customer orders using artificial intelligence, aiming to make the process faster and more efficient.

How it's used: Customers would speak their order to an AI system instead of a human employee. The AI would then process and relay the order to the kitchen.

What went wrong: The idea was to streamline operations, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall customer experience. However, due to frequent errors and mishaps, McDonald's decided to pause this initiative. Despite these setbacks, McDonald's is still optimistic about the potential of voice-ordering technology and plans to explore other solutions by the end of the year.

Read more on Yahoo or The Guardian.

2. Nvidia Becomes the Most Valuable Public Company

What’s the tech? Nvidia produces advanced computer chips that are essential for building and running artificial intelligence systems.

How it's used: These chips are used in a variety of devices and applications, from gaming consoles to self-driving cars and AI research.

Why it's news now: The surge in demand for AI technologies has propelled Nvidia to become the most valuable public company, surpassing Microsoft. This reflects the growing importance and value of AI in today's market.

Read more on Forbes or CNBC.

3. OpenAI Cofounder Launches New AI Safety Company

What’s the tech? Safe Superintelligence is a new company focused on developing AI technologies that are more intelligent than humans while ensuring they remain safe and beneficial.

How it's used: The company aims to create AI systems that can help solve complex problems without posing risks to humanity.

Why it's news now: With the rapid advancement of AI, safety concerns are becoming more prevalent. This initiative highlights the importance of creating AI that is not only powerful but also secure and aligned with human values. One of the co-founders Ilya Sutskever left OpenAI in a public way due to safety concerns.

Read more on ABC News.

Bonus Topic: TikTok to Introduce AI-Generated Avatars of Influencers

What it does: TikTok is launching a program that uses AI to create digital avatars of popular influencers.

How it's used: These AI-generated avatars can create and share content, offering a new way for influencers to engage with their audience without always being on camera themselves.

Will it work?: The real question is whether the app’s users will want to interact with avatars.

Conversation Starter: "Can you imagine following a digital avatar instead of a real person on social media?"

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