McDonald’s Corp has teamed up with IBM to use artificial intelligence to automate the burger chain’s drive-through lanes.
The strategic partnership will see McDonald’s and IBM work on growth and innovation projects using digital technologies.
It sees IBM acquire the McD Tech labs unit which is expected to complement IBM’s existing work on AI systems focussed on customer services.
McD Tech labs was bought by McDonald’s in 2019 as it sought to develop automated order taking (AOT) systems.
The golden arches company hopes that the tie-up will rapidly improve its efforts to provide a more convenient experience for customers and staff.
McDonald’s had previously conducted its own AOT technology in several of its Chicago sites over the summer, showing “substantial benefits”, according to CEO Chris Kempczinsk.
It is expected that fewer than 100 employees will leave McDonald’s to work for IBM.
McDonald’s share price rose by more than 2% on Wednesday afternoon following the companies release of its third-quarter results.
The company reported strong global sales, with an increase of 12.7% compared to the same time last year.
