Artificial intelligence is entering the fast food world. KFC recently opened a concept store with a robot taking orders, while Pizza Hut is collaborating with Pepper, the “human robot”.
For the first time in a commercial environment
If a customer enters KFC’s Original+ concept store in Shanghai to order Hot wings or a Party Bucket, then they can now talk to an intelligent robot, called Du Mi.
The robot, with a square head and vase-like body, helps customers order and pay. Voice recognition, a smart search engine and holographic projection are just a few of its characteristics. A leading Chinese internet company, Baidu, developed Du Mi – a robot that is now used in a commercial environment for the first time.
Friendly robot
Pizza Hut’s colleagues also fully believe in robots’ potential. Pepper, previously tested at Carrefour, will greet the pizza chain’s customers and accept payments in several Asian restaurants.
The project is a collaboration with MasterCard and an attempt to personalize the customer experience more than what is used today, namely self-service kiosks. Pepper can recognize emotions, which is a huge step forward compared to the kiosks.
