McDonald’s Cooks Up AI

Welcome to another edition of the Neural Net…

Where we navigate the intersection of silicon and soul, and tomorrow's tech meets today's status quo.

In this issue:

• McDonald’s To Use AI In Stores, May Even Fix Ice Cream Machines

• Ukraine Stays Bad To The Drone With AI

• Apple Delays AI-Siri….Again

• Finnish Church Let’s AI Take The Wheel

• Humans + AI = Peak Performance

• AMA—AI Me Anything

McDonald’s Goes All-In on AI: Will This Finally Fix the Ice Cream Machine?

McDonald’s recently announced plans to roll out AI across all 43,000 of its locations. According to CIO Brian Rice, the fast-food giant wants to relieve some of the stress on employees caused by juggling multiple ordering options—from dine-in and drive-thru to delivery and mobile orders.

The company’s sales have been limping along lately, so they're investing in what they hope is the easy button—AI. And so far, the AI initiatives McDonald’s has planned are some of the most straightforward, ROI-driven we’ve seen.

AI’s Happy Meal of Use Cases

1. Computer Vision for Quality Control
   Since every wrapper looks the same, AI cameras are now on detective duty to identify if the food matches the order, keeping your Big Mac from sneaking off as a Filet-O-Fish.

2. Equipment Health Monitoring
   Sensors will feed data into AI models to predict and prevent breakdowns, telling McDonald’s what we all already know: the ice cream machine is broken.

3. GenAI Virtual Manager
   Scheduling shifts and handling administrative tasks are classic optimization problems—perfect for AI. Instead of spending hours wrestling with spreadsheets, employees can let the virtual manager schedule shifts in seconds.

4. Personalized Recommendations
   Picture a hot summer day. You open the McDonald’s app and it offers you a McFlurry, available for order now that the ice cream machine now works. AI is the brains behind these recommendation algorithms, which Mr. Rice hopes will translate to more sales.

But here’s the real question: if AI is doing its job well, can anyone even tell it’s there?

Ideally, great AI hums along in the background, so customers never notice. If successful, it’ll be the hardest-working employee nobody ever sees. The last time McDonald’s tried an AI-powered drive-thru, though, everyone definitely noticed… and posted it on TikTok.

• One user asked for caramel ice cream but ended up with multiple stacks of butter.

• Another had nine orders of tea tacked onto her bill for reasons unknown.

• Lastly, the AI kept added over 20 orders of 10-piece nuggets, leaving customers laughing.

These snafus were enough for McDonald’s to scrap their voice-recognition trial after testing in just 100 locations. But their latest foray into AI shows commitment to the future and how crucial it is to test, iterate and adapt. Figure out where and what type of AI makes the most sense for you and your use case. Like the old adage goes: If at first you don’t succeed, try a different model.

Heard in the Server Room 
Quick hits roundup of AI news

• Ukraine Shows Russia They Are Bad To The Drone

  Ukraine is winning the drone wars, using AI-enhanced systems to raise target accuracy from 10-20% up to 70-80%. An onboard AI navigation system helps steer and select a target, even if the operator’s connection to the drone is severed, countering Russia’s early success with jamming and other forms of electronic warfare. However, concerns about the ethical implications of autonomous "killer robots" persist, emphasizing the need for human oversight in engagement decisions.

• Hey Siri, Set A Reminder For 2026

  Apple is pushing back its AI upgrade for Siri—originally expected this year—until 2026, delaying marquee features that would have let it take actions within other apps. The setback raises concerns about Apple's ability to keep up with AI leaders like OpenAI and Google as it works to integrate more advanced generative AI across its ecosystem. Analysts worry the delay could hurt iPhone sales, but let’s be real—Apple fans would rather use a carrier pigeon than switch to Android.

• Ctrl-Alt-Divine - Finnish Church Lets AI Take The Wheel

  A Lutheran church in Helsinki recently conducted an experimental service almost entirely generated by artificial intelligence, featuring an AI-created sermon, hymns, and visuals that drew over 120 attendees. While the sermon went off without a hitch, many participants felt the AI-led service lacked the emotional depth and personal connection of human-led worship (not enough leather jackets and tattoos). This after a Catholic chapel in Switzerland used an AI Jesus in a confessional for 2 months. AI take the wheel indeed.

Enter the Era of Collaborative Intelligence: Humans + AI

Don’t miss out on AI - here’s how it can help you thrive.

Every professional should be fluent in AI tools, but they don’t need to be a full-fledged data scientist to use them effectively. But if you can learn how AI works—whether it’s chat-prompt engineering or using AI-driven analytics, you will be able to stay competitive in a world where “human + AI” is the winning combo.

Jim Wilson, the author of “Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI”, provides a few ways to think about the evolving future of AI in the workforce:

• AI as a Partner, Not a Replacement
  The real value in AI doesn’t lie in ousting humans but working alongside them. True “collaborative intelligence” means combining the strengths of humans and AI. The result? Better outcomes than either could achieve solo.

• Upskilling is Essential
  To thrive in an AI-driven world, both individuals and organizations need to commit to learning. Consulting firm Accenture states that “generative AI will transform more than 40% of working hours across industries”, which means your role will likely be reshaped by AI in the near future.

• A Shift in Company Culture
  Successful AI integration isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a mindset change. Leaders must support experimentation and encourage employees to see AI as an ally in boosting productivity and innovation.

• Trust is the Barrier to Adoption

  Building explainable AI is key. Black box models (where the inner workings are hidden or unknown) won’t suffice anymore. For AI to become your co-pilot, you need to visibility into its decision making process.

• Master the Fusion Skills

  Skills like chat-prompt engineering, human-layered judgment on AI output (aka, does this pass the human gut check), and co-learning will ensure you extract the most value from AI.

In the era of human-machine teamwork, the winners will effectively fuse human brilliance with AI wizardry while keeping it all transparent.