AI has taken over the drive-thru at a Florida Wendy’s, and one TikTok user wasn’t thrilled to see this change.
Brittany, known as @brittanyann_22 on TikTok, posted a video on April 19 when he placed a drive-thru order with an AI employee.
The TikTok user, who revealed in her video description that she’s “not for this,” got to the back of a line at the Wendy’s drive-thru to record her video.
This has led more than 22,000 TikTokers to debate the ethics of AI, which one user says is “getting out of hand.”
Even though the non-human entity took his order, he successfully received a medium chocolate ice cream in less than a minute.
Brittany’s clip has garnered over 16 million views and is currently her most viewed TikTok video.
Brittany, known as @brittanyann_22 on TikTok, posted a video on April 19 of her giving her frozen chocolate order to an AI employee.
Brittany revealed in her video description that she wasn’t a fan of the AI employee at Wendy’s she went to in Florida.
The AI employee’s video has been discussed in three TikTok videos since Brittany posted her first viral video which currently has over 16 million views.
Wendy’s began replacing self-service employees with AI chatbots in 2023.
The fast food chain and Google Cloud have been working together to develop Wendy’s FreshAl.
A Wendy’s press release said its AI ordering system “is intended to feel as natural as interacting with a crew member.”
“It’s at least as good as our best customer service rep and, on average, probably better,” Wendy’s CIO Kevin Vasconi told The Wall Street Journal during his previous tests.
Although Brittany has made it clear that she’s not a fan of the AI self-service employee, she found it easy to place an order.
Wendy’s began experimenting with AI chatbots in its drive-thru last year and is working to further develop the system with Google Cloud.
A Wendy’s press release said its AI ordering system “is intended to feel as natural as interacting with a crew member.”
The AI employee welcomed Brittany to Wendy’s and asked her what she would like to order right as she approached the menu.
The AI employee’s words also appeared on the screen in English and Spanish.
Although it appeared fully functional, the AI technology made a few mistakes while Brittany was ordering her Chocolate Frosty.
Brittany asked the AI employee, “Can I have some chocolate ice cream?” The machine translated it as “And I have a chocolate ice cream” while she placed her order.
Once she selected the size, Brittany said she didn’t want anything else.
The machine paused for a few seconds and then told Brittany to move to the next window as it displayed her order total.
Brittany was able to order a Chocolate Frosty in less than a minute and then responded to comments written by other TikTokers on her video.
Brittany read the comments on her first video and decided to give the AI employee a more complex order in another TikTok he posted on the social media platform last week.
He ordered a Dave’s Double with a slice of cheese, two slices of tomato, and the bottom of the bun with ketchup on the side.
The AI employee wrote down everything Brittany asked for at the bottom of the screen and asked if she wanted to make it a combo.
He ordered a small Chocolate Frosty after the AI employee told him they were out of vanilla.
She then upgraded her cheese fries and the grand total for her meal was $11.81.
“I really don’t know how people who order through the drive-thru… This wasn’t even complex or difficult,” he said after placing his order.
He added that the counter employee asked him why he only wanted the bottom part of the bun.
TikTok users debated the topic of AI employees in restaurants in Brittany’s viral video and also criticized the technology in her reaction clip she posted last week.
One user commented that their Chocolate Frosty order was “not a good showing.” He went back to the AI employee and ordered a more complex order last week.
TikTok users have been commenting on his initial video and two reaction clips for over a week. A TikToker who commented on a video claimed that they work at the restaurant she went to.
More than one commenter wrote positive things about the AI employee and one person even called him “polite and friendly.”
One user revealed that he thinks it’s “better than yelling your order six times” because an employee wouldn’t hear it.
TikTok users have been harsh on the other videos, with one person criticizing Wendy’s by writing that Wendy’s would rather “not have employees” than pay minimum wage.
“It’s perfectly fine for AI to take over these jobs because it has better customer service skills than the people who actually work there,” one person wrote.
“It encourages kids to look for more complicated work.”
