Carl's Jr. And Hardee's Plan To Replace Drive-Thru Workers With New AI Tech

Artificial intelligence has been dominating Twitter and news feeds lately, driven in large part by the rise of ChatGPT. The OpenAI chatbot has the ability to write poems, compose student essays, and answer questions about quantum physics (to say nothing of its occasional habit of fabricating information), while programs such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion have received buzz for their renderings of human hands. 

Meanwhile, another kind of AI technology is making its way into the quick-service restaurant industry. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's parent company, CKE Restaurants, has announced its plan to team up with AI software Presto Voice to optimize its drive-thru locations nationwide. Presto's interim CEO Krishna Gupta told CNBC that the partnership will be "the biggest rollout for automated drive-thru ordering across the restaurant industry." 

Here's how the new technology will impact customers' drive-thru experiences and how it will affect (human) workers at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's. 

Be prepared to be asked whether you want a side of fries every time you visit Hardee's or Carl's Jr. in the near future. The automated Presto bots that will interface with customers at the sister brands' drive-thrus are known for "relentlessly upselling" menu items, Presto president Dan Mosher told CNBC. 

A test run of the rollout also showed that the new technology yields faster service, a lower "intervention rate" from workers, more accurate orders, and an overall improved employee and customer experience. "This is us focusing on speed of service and accuracy," Mosher said to CNBC. He added that the technology will make life easier for workers, who will still be able to hear customers' orders through their headsets.

This may be Presto's most high-profile rollout to date, but it's not its first. The AI company has already made its way to Del Taco and Checkers & Rally's restaurants. The bots are set to take over soon at 2,800 Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants nationwide. Former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder also told Business Insider in 2016 that he wanted to test out automated ordering systems at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's locations.