Credit: © Kanpisut via Canva.com McDonald’s is testing an AI voice assistant called Archy that takes drive-thru orders in English and Spanish. The company presented it at its investor day at its Chicago headquarters on 23 September. Archy has been more than 90% accurate in early tests, McDonald’s said, according to Restaurant Dive. The company has not said how many restaurants use it, but Fox News reported in June that it was being tested at five US locations.
Archy is one part of ArchIQ, a generative AI system for running restaurants. It also tracks stock, watches kitchen equipment with cameras and uses scales to check that orders are complete before they reach customers, Restaurant Dive reported. McDonald’s said the drive-thru tools can save each restaurant more than 50 hours of staff time a week. It also said ArchIQ can cut food waste by 15%.
The system runs on Google Cloud edge computers, which process data inside the restaurant. They are already installed in thousands of McDonald’s locations, and the company expects to finish the US edge rollout in 2027. “This allows our AI models to make accurate split-second decisions,” said Brian Rice, McDonald’s global chief information officer. McDonald’s has tried AI ordering before. It ended a drive-thru test with IBM in June 2024.
Meanwhile, rivals have moved ahead, and Taco Bell now uses voice AI ordering at more than 890 US restaurants. ArchIQ is part of the company’s wider Next strategy. McDonald’s plans about $8.5bn in franchisee support through 2036, covering rent relief and restaurant investment, according to its investor day release. The company will roll out ArchIQ tools in stages starting in 2027.
It has not given a date for a full Archy launch.
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