According to the report from "Catering Business", McDonald's will end its two-year partnership with IBM, which aimed to test the ability of artificial intelligence to replace drive-thru employees in over 100 restaurants. It is reported that the world's largest fast-food company will discontinue this technology in late July. However, McDonald's stated that this experiment with IBM "gave us confidence that voice ordering for drive-thru will be a part of our restaurant's future." Although it is unclear why McDonald's terminated its partnership with IBM, the AI drive-thru ordering system has indeed experienced some malfunctions in the past and has been widely circulated online. One customer was shocked to see the AI system malfunction and ended up ordering 2,510 McChicken meals, totaling $264.75. Another customer struggled with the AI system for about a minute, attempting to order a Big Mac and a drink, but eventually had to be assisted by a human to expedite the process. There was also a person who tried to order a large bottle of water and ice cream, but the AI system ended up ordering three butter containers, four ketchup packets, and a caramel sundae for them. A spokesperson for McDonald's stated, "Through our partnership with IBM, we gained a lot of experience and believe there is an opportunity to explore voice ordering solutions more extensively. After careful consideration, McDonald's has decided to terminate its global partnership with IBM in the area of Automated Ordering Taking (AOT) after this year." McDonald's also mentioned that a decision on the future of AOT will be made by the end of this year. This comment suggests that McDonald's may collaborate with another AI provider for drive-thru ordering technology, possibly Google. In December 2023, Google and McDonald's announced an AI partnership, promising "exciting new experiences for employees and customers." As reported by Bloomberg, part of this deal includes an AI chatbot called "Ask Pickles," specifically designed for McDonald's employees to guide them in their work.