McDonald’s AI drive-thru test and its wider technology plans

In June 2024, McDonald’s said it would end its automated drive-thru ordering test with IBM, while maintaining plans for future voice ordering. Google’s separately announced partnership covered the computing infrastructure behind restaurant software, including both cloud services and processing inside individual restaurants.

2021: Developing automated ordering#

McDonald’s and IBM announced an agreement on October 27, 2021, to develop and deploy Automated Order Taking, or AOT. The planned transaction included IBM’s acquisition of McD Tech Labs, a unit created after McDonald’s bought Apprente in 2019. The announcement described a proposed deal subject to approvals and other closing conditions. Joint statement

McDonald’s said IBM’s work in artificial intelligence and natural-language processing would help it address additional languages, dialects and menu variations. The companies also said AOT would remain integrated with McDonald’s technology systems.

2023: Computing in the restaurant and cloud#

On December 6, 2023, McDonald’s and Google Cloud announced hardware and software plans for thousands of restaurants. Restaurants would have access to cloud-based applications and could run software and AI locally. Partnership announcement

That local capability is edge computing: information storage and processing placed inside the restaurant. McDonald’s linked the infrastructure to changes in its mobile app and self-service kiosks, and to understanding equipment performance. The announcement anticipated restaurant upgrades beginning in 2024. It described a platform for multiple uses, rather than naming a replacement for IBM’s voice-ordering test.

2024: Decision to end the test#

Restaurant Dive reported the decision on June 17, 2024, citing an emailed statement from McDonald’s. The tests examined potential operating savings and faster service, the company said. Restaurant Dive’s reporting

McDonald’s expected to decide on a future voice-ordering solution by year-end 2024. It disclosed neither performance measures nor whether the trial had succeeded, Restaurant Dive reported.

2025: A platform and a check before handoff#

In an August 14, 2025, update, Chief Information Officer Brian Rice said Edge, the platform developed with Google, was operating in hundreds of U.S. restaurants and expanding internationally. He described it as a foundation for kitchens using connected equipment and AI. Digital transformation update

The same update described Accuracy Scales in thousands of restaurants across a dozen markets, covering drive-thru and delivery. These devices compare an outgoing order’s expected weight with its actual weight and alert crew members to possible missing items before customers receive their food.

This placed a check on the packed order before handoff, distinct from the voice application’s task of taking the customer’s order.

2026: AI in a broader restaurant plan#

After this article’s original March 20, 2026, publication, McDonald’s announced its NEXT strategy on September 23. Restaurant NEXT included plans to deploy generative-AI-enabled ArchIQ at scale alongside simpler operations and modernized restaurant design. NEXT strategy

The restaurant work was one part of a plan also covering menu development, customer relationships and employee hospitality. McDonald’s said common technology platforms, a single enterprise data foundation and operating systems built under its earlier Accelerating the Arches strategy would help it identify opportunities, test them and deploy changes more efficiently.

McDonald’s said markets would set their own paths for implementing NEXT, combining shared solutions with local knowledge and sequencing investment around franchisee capacity and returns.

Updated October 12, 2026: This article removes unsupported performance claims, corrects the description of the Google partnership and adds dated context on McDonald’s subsequent technology plans.