McDonald's Tests AI That Could Replace Drive-Thru Staff
At their Worldwide Convention this week, McDonald's announced a new AI-powered operating system called ArchIQ, nicknamed "Archy." A voice assistant built on the platform is being tested at five US locations, though the company has not said where. The move is part of a broader strategy called McDonald's NEXT, which replaces their earlier "Accelerating the Arches" plan and centers on technology and automation. The McDonald's AI drive-thru is a notable change because the drive-thru accounts for a large share of the company's sales, which is the reason McDonald's gives for investing in it.
ArchIQ is designed to greet customers at the speaker, take their order, and send it to the kitchen without a worker at the microphone. The company says it was built with support from Google Cloud and can handle orders in more than one language, including English and Spanish. A demonstration posted by a McDonald's franchisee account on X showed the assistant taking orders in both languages. According to that account, Archy is also meant to assist managers by flagging operational issues, and the system has supposedly processed more than a million transactions, with roughly 90% completed without human help. Those figures come from the franchisee, not McDonald's, and the company has not confirmed them.
This is not the company's first attempt at AI ordering. An earlier trial with IBM ended in 2024 after customers reported errors and mixed-up orders at the speaker. McDonald's said at the time that it still expected voice technology to play a role going forward, and ArchIQ is the next version of that effort, now involving Google rather than IBM.
Public opinion is mixed. Some customers say they would rather order from a person and worry about the effect on jobs, while others note they already prefer kiosks and apps because they can take their time, see the full menu, and confirm their order is correct. Experiences with similar systems at other chains vary widely, with some describing them as fast and accurate and others reporting lag, repeated mistakes, or aggressive upselling.
A larger concern runs underneath the fast-food debate. Many people pointed to automated customer service that makes it hard to reach a human when something goes wrong, and worried about that pattern spreading. Others raised job losses, rising menu prices paired with app-only discounts, and how much customer data these systems collect.
For now, ArchIQ remains in its five test locations while McDonald's collects data. No wider launch date has been confirmed, though the company is reportedly installing supporting hardware at restaurants nationwide. The next time you order a Big Mac, the voice on the speaker may not be a person at all.
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