Taco Bell is teaming up with Yum! Brands to bring Voice AI to hundreds more of its drive-thrus this year. This service is not new to Taco Bell—about 100 stores across 13 states already have voice AI technology.

The system aims to “enhance back-of-house operations for team members and elevate the order experience for consumers. Benefits include easing task load for team members, improving order accuracy, providing a consistent, friendly experience and reducing wait times,” according to the company.

“Innovation is ingrained in our DNA at Taco Bell, and we view Voice AI as a means to improve the team member and consumer experiences,” said Dane Mathews, chief digital and technology officer at Taco Bell. “Tapping into AI gives us the ability to ease team members’ workloads, freeing them to focus on front-of-house hospitality. It also enables us to unlock new and meaningful ways to engage with our customers.”

Five KFC restaurants in Australia are also simultaneously testing Voice AI technology in drive-thrus, said Yum! Brands, “which is also being positively received by consumers and restaurant team members.”

AI has become an integral part of streamlining business in recent years. Retailers such as Target and Walmart are implementing AI in stores to simplify tasks such as training employees, generating product descriptions and smart fruit sourcing.

For more on how retailers are leveraging AI, read ‘A Friction Free Future’ in the June issue of NACS Magazine.