It seems artificial intelligence has infiltrated nearly every aspect of modern life. Now, fast food giants are attempting to integrate AI, and Taco Bell is the latest example.
On Tuesday, Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, announced a partnership with NVIDIA to “integrate AI into the restaurant and retail industry at an unprecedented scale.” This integration will incorporate the use of a proprietary software called “Byte by Yum” that will be used for order taking, drive-through management, and sales analysis.
While this might excite shareholders, the consumer response remains uncertain, considering many are wary of AI-driven customer service. Retailers continue to experiment with innovations like AI surveillance systems. Cramming AI into fast food, in comparison, might seem innocuous.
However, for the tens of thousands of fast food workers nationwide, Byte by Yum represents an expansion of tech-fueled surveillance on the job. Yum plans to use the same AI system used for drive-through monitoring to enhance its “Computer Vision Enhanced Operations.” This also will be used to optimize “back-of-house labor management through real-time analytics and alerts.” Essentially, AI will be used to monitor low-wage employees.
This is especially concerning when considering that the median fast food worker earns just $29,540 a year. (Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs, in contrast, has an estimated net worth of $52 million.) It appears Yum’s executives are looking for ways to extract more from their workforce, and AI is the tool.
While Yum’s AI-surveillance rollout may be the most expansive, it’s not the first. A Forbes investigation last year detailed an experimental AI system implemented in over one hundred franchised Dairy Queens, KFCs, and Taco Bells. That system tracked employee conversations, kitchen speed, and food waste.
What Yum’s proprietary software will track is anyone’s guess. Corporations increasingly use technology for more invasive purposes, like keeping track of bathroom breaks and monitoring employee health. Meanwhile, customers are clamoring for Taco Bell to bring back the Enchirito.
