McDonald’s is testing a new AI-powered drive-thru technology at five of its U.S. locations that could eventually replace the familiar exchange of pulling up and placing a fast-food order with a human employee.
The popular fast-food chain revealed the new system, called ArchIQ, a Google-powered AI ordering platform, at the company’s 2026 worldwide convention last week.
According to a McDonald’s franchise owner, the new tech is nicknamed “Archy.” A video shared by the franchise owner on X shows how the AI system greets customers and takes orders, pausing to process any changes or requests from the customer before displaying the finalized order and total on a screen and prompting the customer to “pull ahead” for pickup.
ArchIQ is capable of taking orders in both English and Spanish, according to the franchise owner, who wrote on X that “90% of orders” so far had been “completed without human escalations.”
Experts say the move from McDonald’s could ultimately mark a major shift in how fast-food companies operate.
While McDonald’s has previously experimented with automated ordering, the company shelved a 2024 test after videos of incorrect orders went viral on social media, according to Restaurant Business.
Despite those setbacks, fast-food companies are continuing to invest in automation. Taco Bell and Wendy’s previously announced that they had launched their own AI-powered drive-thru ordering systems.
Reactions to McDonald’s new AI drive-thru tech have been largely negative on social media so far, with many responding to the franchise owner’s post last week by saying they prefer to interact with human workers. A few X users, however, said they prefer the idea of a more streamlined, tech-forward ordering system.