Man Shares Frustrating Attempts To Order Through McDonald's AI System At Drive-Thru

Ashley Hunte
A McDonald's sign against a dark sky
Unsplash | Jonas Augustin

They say that AI is the future, and whether you like it or not, it looks like that's the truth. But just when we thought AI was supposed to make our lives more convenient, it just makes things that much more complicated.

A man posted to TikTok showing how difficult it was to order from a McDonald's AI drive thru.

A user who goes by Dal JustDal posted a video showing how much he struggled getting his order.

A McDonald's restaurant with drive thru.
Unsplash | Thabang

The TikToker (@that_usa_guy) posted the video back in July, showing the automated AI drive thru system that would've been implemented at his local McDonald's recently.

The video starts with Dal frustratingly telling the AI he doesn't want bacon.

The recognizable golden McDonald's arch.
Unsplash | Jurij Kenda

He shows his order, which includes two vanilla ice cream cones and a side of bacon. He does get it successfully moved off of the order, though.

But when the AI reads his total and directs him to the next window, the order shows three ice cream cones.

The screen showing the AI system at Dal's local McDonald's.
TikTok | @that_usa_guy

Dal then tells the AI that he only wanted two cones, but by then it was too late.

The system starts another order and Dal frustratingly begins to argue with it.

"What would you like to order?" it asks. "Nothing," Dal responds. He orders again, but a woman cuts off the AI to fix his order.

The video gained a lot of attention... but not all of it good.

A man shaking his head in frustration.
Giphy | Yellowstone

Many commenters pointed out that Dal was the one making things more complicated, not the AI.

"Mans trying to order the same way my grandma uses Google," one user said.

In August, Dal went to McDonald's and dealt with the AI system again.

Two McDonald's burgers and fries meals.
Unsplash | Brett Jordan

In this video, the AI asks Dal what drink he would like with his order, to which he responds with Mountain Dew (a drink that isn't sold at McDonald's).

The system defaults to medium Coke instead.

A Coca-Cola cup with two straws.
Unsplash | YUE LIU

He then repeats that he wants a Mountain Dew, and the system adds another Coke. After that, he tries to cancel the order, which takes some time. When he makes a new order, a worker cuts the AI off to take it.

She explains that they don't sell Mountain Dew, and asks Dal if he wants another drink.

Dal then responds by asking for a Diet Pepsi (another drink McDonald's doesn't sell). He settles for a Diet Coke and finishes the rest of his order.

The commenters were even more frustrated this time around.

A woman putting her head in her hand in frustration.
Giphy | HULU

Many were pointing out how McDonald's doesn't sell any of the drinks he was trying to buy.

"People act like they’ve never been to a McDonalds before," one commenter wrote.

Dal replied to several comments saying he didn't know what drinks they sold.

Mariah Carey saying, "I can't read suddenly. I don't know."
Giphy

But others pointed out that he could've just read the menu...

"There’s a menu with the drink choices. It probably defaults to coke if someone says they want a martini or something that’s obviously not on there," a user commented.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!