AI news for Tuesday includes McDonald’s acquiring a company to help beef up its drive-thru.
The company that McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) is acquiring is Apprente. This is a tech startup based out of Silicone Valley. The company says that the startup will be joining its Global Technology and be the founding members of its new McD Tech Labs. The company doesn’t say how much it is paying for Apprente.
According to McDonald’s, the acquisition of Apprente will allow it to enhance its drive-thru to better serve customers. This includes making it easier for employees to hear customers’ orders, which may speed up drive-thru times.
McDonald’s notes that this AI news isn’t just limited to its drive-thru. It also points out that the technology that Apprente is developing may also have applications for its kiosks and mobile ordering. However, these are projects further off in the future.
This isn’t likely the last AI news that we’ll be hearing from McDonald’s. The fast food chain says that it wants to continue to bolster McD Tech Labs in the future. This includes plans to bring in additional engineers, data scientists and tech experts.
“Building our technology infrastructure and digital capabilities are fundamental to our Velocity Growth Plan and enable us to meet rising expectations from our customers, while making it simpler and even more enjoyable for crew members to serve guests” Steve Easterbrook, President and CEO of McDonald’s, said in a statement.
MCD stock was down 3% as of Tuesday afternoon.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
