As the OpenAI drama has settled down, Google has stepped into the AI spotlight by releasing a new suite ofAI solutions.Geminiis Google’s most capable model yet and is slated to be able to compete with OpenAI’sGPT-4 model. Other than powering Google services, Gemini will be available for businesses interested in incorporating AI into their workflows. Although the model is still very new, McDonald’s might be the first company to integrate it into its restaurants.
As the Gemini news dominated headlines, McDonald’s announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud through apress releaseon the same day. Through the partnership, McDonald’s plans to leverage Google Cloud’s hardware, data, and AI tech to innovate many parts of its business. So, does that mean that AI will make your next Big Mac? Fortunately, it does not, but it appears that AI will definitely have a role in it.
Despite its ability to consistently deliver a delicious McFlurry and fries, McDonald’s is very much a tech company. Over the past decade, it has transformed their business model into implementing technology at every turn. A mobile app, rewards program, and in-store kiosks have all played massive parts in McDonald’s growth. Accompanying tremendous digital growth is huge amounts of consumer data.
Brian Rice, a McDonald’s executive, announced in the press release that they still see tremendous opportunities for growth in its digital business. They plan on using the partnership with Google to connect millions of data points across its digital ecosystem to improve customer experience. This might come as a shock, but McDonald’s loyalty program has 150 million members; yes, that’s nearly half the population of the US. That amount of data in the hands of the right AI model can create valuable insights for McDonald’s to improve business processes.
McDonald’s will deploy Google hardware and software into thousands of restaurants. Having the tools locally inside restaurants allows each location to leverage AI solutions on-site.According to a Bloomberg report, one of the upcoming experiments is a chatbot called “Ask Pickles,” which will pull information from manuals and other sources to provide restaurant workers with quick answers to questions such as how tofix one of the company’s infamous ice cream machines. The overarching goal is for McDonald’s to draw insights into improving efficiency inside its restaurants. So it might take a little bit of time, but AI might alter how McDonald’s makes Big Macs altogether.
Although McDonald’s did not mention Gemini by name, the timing of the announcement suggests that some version of the new model might be used. Gemini is multimodal, which essentially means that it is not limited to creating one kind of content. If McDonald’s were to use Gemini, it could customize its functionality to exactly what it needs. Accompanying the partnership is a dedicated team of Google Cloud engineers who will focus on applying generative AI to McDonald’s business.
Google previously started working with other partners to invent new use cases for its AI tools. For example, Deloitte announced a strategic partnership with the internet behemoth in May, aiming to create use cases and further unspecified industry solutions with Google Cloud’s GenAI tech. Deloitte provides audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services.
