DRIVE-THRU ROBOT TAKES ORDER FOR 18,000 WATERS, ASKS IF YOU WANT A DRINK WITH THAT
What actually happened: Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through ordering after viral pranks, including an 18,000-water order
IDIOCRACY LEVEL: 8/10
Taco Bell had put voice AI ordering into more than 500 US drive-throughs since 2023. After viral clips showed the system struggling, including one customer ordering 18,000 cups of water, the company's digital chief told the Wall Street Journal it was reconsidering where to use the technology.
Good evening. In the ancient year 2025, the Taco Bell ordering machine was asked for eighteen thousand cups of water, and it did not say no. Other customers reported the robot repeatedly pushing them to add more drinks, which historians agree was simply good business. The company's technology chief admitted the results had been uneven and said Taco Bell would now think harder about where to put the robots. Scholars note this was the first known attempt to irrigate the nation's crops one drive-thru cup at a time.