The company believes that increasing automation will boost profitability, but also acknowledged that off-site workers assisting the chatbots will become more expensive. In a bid to cut costs, Presto laid off about 17% of its global full-time employees and reduced its monthly expenditures. Meanwhile, other US restaurant chains like McDonald's, Taco Bell, Popeyes, and Wingstop are increasingly relying on AI to take orders and reduce human labor. Wendy's is also automating its drive-thru service and training its chatbot to recognize customer lingo.
Key takeaways:
- Presto Automations, a provider of AI drive-thru chatbots, admitted that over 70% of its orders are assisted by off-site human workers, contradicting its previous claim that 95% of orders didn't need human intervention.
- The company, which works with US fast food chains like Del Taco, Hardee's and Carl's Jr., said it uses 'humans-in-the-loop' to assist the AI in receiving orders.
- Presto believes that as it improves its AI accuracy and deploys its Presto Voice solution across more locations, the percentage of orders that don't require human intervention will reach 30% or better.
- Restaurant chains across the US, including McDonald's, Taco Bell, Popeyes, and Wingstop, are increasingly using AI-powered voice bots to take orders at the drive-thru and over the phone to reduce the need for human labor.