Dairy Queen is joining the fast-food AI arms race, announcing plans to install a chatbot in dozens of its drive-thrus across the US and Canada. According to The Wall Street Journal, the stated goals are to speed up service and, with a delightful lack of subtlety, to "encourage customers to add more food to their orders." It seems the future of ordering a Blizzard now involves a digital nudge to supersize it.
The technology is being widely launched following a test last year and is built by Presto, an AI company with an impressive roster of fast-food clients. Presto already provides its services to chains like Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Taco John's, and Fazoli's, suggesting a future where all your guilty pleasures are facilitated by the same corporate algorithm.
However, a 2023 report from Bloomberg introduced a fascinating wrinkle to this automated future. It revealed that Presto's supposedly AI-powered drive-thrus may, in fact, receive a little human assistance. The help reportedly comes from workers based in locations like the Philippines, adding a global, outsourced layer to your local ice cream run.
This development places Dairy Queen firmly in the trend of chains betting that a synthetic voice can improve efficiency and, more importantly, the average check size. It remains to be seen if customers will enjoy a side of algorithmic persuasion with their Dilly Bar, or if they'll just find it creepy.