White Castle Will Use AI In 100 Drive-Thru Locations By the End of 2024

Artificial Intelligence is becoming a part of everyday life, from using ChatGPT to plan a family vacation or asking Google's Bard to touch up your resume. Siri and Alexa already have a place in our daily routines, and now it's time to invite AI to dinner (literally).

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(Artificial) Life in the Fast Lane

Fast food chain White Castle announced its partnership with voice technology firm SoundHound on Aug. 2. In a press release, SoundHound claims the ordering experience at these restaurants will be completely powered by artificial intelligence:

Unlike other available options, SoundHound’s technology is based on complete end-to-end AI, and is not a human-assisted system. That means it relies entirely upon intelligent automation to deliver a fast, accurate, scalable, and consistent service right across locations and channels (including kiosk, phone, and other devices).

White Castle plans to add AI to over 100 drive-thru lanes by the end of next year.

AI In Action

SoundHound claims its AI order-takers make fewer mistakes than their human counterparts, noting "90% order completion rates that exceed previous staff-based benchmarks" and that the average customer's order can be processed in under a minute.

SoundHound showcased their technology in the video above, posted to Twitter on Aug. 2. "Julia," the AI assistant, took the customer's White Castle order, offering customization options and even attempting to upsell the customer to a larger drink size.

AI Everywhere?

White Castle isn't the only fast-food chain experimenting with adding artificial intelligence to its employee roster. Business Insider notes Panera Bread, McDonald's, Popeye's, Hardee's, Del Taco, Checkers, and even Taco Bell have incorporated AI into their drive-thru lanes.