“McDonald’s is giving its 43,000 restaurants a technology makeover, starting with internet-connected kitchen equipment, artificial intelligence-enabled drive-throughs and AI-powered tools for managers”, reports the Wall Street Journal:
The goal? To drive better experiences for its customers and workers who today contend with issues ranging from broken machines to wrong orders, according to Brian Rice, the burger giant’s chief information officer.
“Our restaurants, frankly, can be very stressful. We have customers at the counter, we have customers at our drive-through, couriers coming in for delivery, delivery at curbside. That’s a lot to deal with for our crew,” Rice said. “Technology solutions will alleviate the stress.”
The investments are coming at a key time for McDonald’s, whose U.S. sales were sluggish in January—reflective of a broader slump in the fast-food industry. McDonald’s said consumers remain pressured, particularly low-income diners and families. The restaurant is hoping that a better tech-enabled experience will help it deliver on its goal of growing its loyalty patrons from 175 million to 250 million by 2027.
To accomplish that, McDonald’s tapped Google Cloud in late 2023 to bring more computing power to each of its restaurants—giving them the ability to process and analyze data on-site. The setup, known as edge computing, can be a faster, cheaper option than sending data to the cloud, especially in more far-flung locations with less reliable cloud connections.
Artificial intelligence is being used to identify the trillions of viruses that live inside human beings, some of which are likely good for us.
Viruses can be useful. Scientists have engineered a virus to steal proteins from the HIV virus, potentially eliminating AIDS.
A virus is being used to cure deafness in new gene therapy. Researchers also discovered that a plant virus could be used to save crops from root-eating pests.
Scientists have genetically engineered a fly species to eat more waste.
A genetically-modified chicken lays eggs that people allergic to eggs can eat. Genetic engineering recently produced bacon and pork that people who are allergic to red meat can eat.
Scientists have genetically engineered a cow that produces human insulin in its milk, which could potentially be helpful for people with diabetes.
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to save whales.
