McDonald’s reintroduces AI at drive-thrus

McDonald's unveiled ArchIQ AI platform and voice assistant Archy for order-taking in a limited test at several US drive-thru lanes at a Las Vegas convention. A similar system ran for three years at ~100 locations and was shut down in 2024 due to errors and unprofitability.

• Archy tested in several US drive-thru lanes
• Previous system ran 3 years at ~100 locations, closed in 2024
• AI order accuracy 81%, 95% when transferred to human
• Drive-thru accounts for about 70% of McDonald's US business