More KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut locations will get AI-powered drive-thru ordering
You might want to become familiar with the Taco Bell mobile app.
That's because parent company Yum! Brands are rolling out an AI chatbot that you'll use to order at the drive-thru at 500 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC locations in the second quarter of 2025, according to a company press release. The tech, which was developed in partnership with Nvidia, allegedly "enables a more natural, seamless ordering experience" through the use of a conversational chatbot that "adapts to human speech patterns," among other things.
At first glance, it's unclear how this is different from the AI drive-thru ordering that has been available at some Taco Bell locations since last year. Regardless, it's clear that chain restaurants are moving in this direction, at least for the time being.
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Wendy's recently committed to a similar initiative, while McDonald's experimented with it (poorly) last year. It's true that human employees can and often do misinterpret orders, especially through the crackly speakers of a drive-thru, but it's very easy to imagine AI messing up orders in new and surprising ways that humans could never dream of.
However, you can order ahead in the mobile app and not have to deal with this at all, if you want to.
Topics Artificial Intelligence
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
