McDonald’s Collaborates with Google to Develop AI Chatbot for Employees

McDonald’s Corp. has partnered with Alphabet Inc.’s Google to develop an AI chatbot that will assist its restaurant staff in swiftly obtaining answers to queries, such as instructions on cleaning an ice cream machine.

The bot, called “Ask Pickles,” is being trained on everything from manuals to information generated by restaurant equipment. It guides workers on the spot, potentially increasing productivity in an industry where every second counts.

The test is one of the initiatives implemented by McDonald’s as it brings Google Cloud data and generative artificial intelligence tools to restaurants around the world and highlights the growing importance of technology and digital channels to the chain’s business. According to third-quarter financial numbers, McDonald’s mobile app, kiosks and delivery now account for more than 40% — or nearly $9 billion — of sales at franchise and company-operated stores in its six largest markets.

“We’re not yet tapping into the full potential of our technology, and we’re not yet tapping into the full potential of our scale,” Brian Rice, McDonald’s global chief information officer, said in an interview ahead of the company’s Wednesday strategy update to investors.

The upgrades are powered by Google Cloud’s cutting-edge computing technology, which allows retailers to run systems like kiosks from small servers connected directly to an individual store or restaurant, rather than relying on a centralized cloud.

Such a setup is more reliable and allows for faster processing while enabling data collection, said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. In the future, franchisees or managers may have access to dashboards that tell them it’s time to change the oil in the fryer or that the freezers aren’t working efficiently, Rice said. Thousands of restaurants will begin receiving hardware and software upgrades next year.

At some point, McDonald’s could use the data to get a broader picture of how the equipment is working in its restaurants — most of which are operated independently by franchisees. That, in turn, could inform supplier relations. The ultimate goal is to reduce downtime, Rice said.

Both companies are also working on ways to use generative artificial intelligence. McDonald’s size — more than 50,000 restaurants by 2027 — means its stores generate a huge amount of data to train AI models, Rice said.

“The more data you feed gen AI models, the better they get,” the executive said.

According to the chain, using a single software platform to power all of McDonald’s restaurants and customer-specific digital platforms will enable faster implementation of the update. It also helps make the ordering experience more seamless for guests, McDonald’s said.