AI has infiltrated many aspects of our lives, one of the most notable being fast-food drive-thrus. As soon as you approach the speaker, it’s a coin toss on whether you’re greeted by a human or machine.
But just because AI understands the basics doesn’t make it foolproof. One man exploited a flaw in the system with a simple, ridiculous request at Taco Bell.
What Did He Say at the Taco Bell AI Drive-Thru?
Before pulling up to the Taco Bell drive-thru, Texas TikToker Chris (@governor_megatron) assumes a human worker won’t greet him.
“Oh, no. I think this drive-thru is AI,” he says. “Y’all know what I gotta do.”
After he pulls up to the speaker, sure enough, an automated voice confirms it. “Hi there! Welcome to Taco Bell. What can I get you?” the machine asks him.
Immediately, the content creator uses a trick up his sleeve: “9,999 waters,” he answers.
Suddenly, the AI pauses, trying to process the information before relenting. “Let me get a team member to help you,” it responds.
Needless to say, Chris is surprised. “It actually worked,” he writes in the caption, accompanied by three laughing emojis.
‘I’ll Take a Big Mac Meal and a Whopper’
Americans generally have mixed opinions about Artificial Intelligence. A Gallup survey found that 39% believed it does more harm than good, an 8% increase from the year before.
Moreover, younger Americans aged 18–29 have a greater unfavorability rating, with 47% holding the same opinion, an 11% jump. So, it checks out why viewers didn’t bat an eye at Chris pulling this stunt.
“I love that it sounds exasperated,” one viewer commented.
“Modern day version of pressing ‘0’ to try to get to a human,” a second noted.
“I do this [at the] Panda drive thru. I ask for something not on the menu,” a third stated.
Furthermore, others revealed their tactics on how they would tick off the machine.
“1,000 chicken fajitas please?!” one commenter shared.
“55 TACOS 55 CINNABONS,” another revealed.
“I like asking for 5,000 hot sauce packets,” a third said.
“Ill take a big mac meal and a whopper,” another joked.
Not the First Time
In 2024, Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum Brands, announced it would roll out hundreds of AI drive-thrus by the end of the year. All of this is to streamline order taking, reduce employee workload, and boost profits. Of course, this hasn’t been smooth sailing.
Last year, one man decided to play tomfoolery at a Taco Bell drive-thru similar to Chris’. Instead of 9,999 cups of water, he ordered a whopping 18,000 cups.
According to Chowhound, the system made a noise and paused, struggling to process the outlandish request. Then, a human employee swooped in and intervened.
However, another malfunction occurred without a human on standby to save the day over a simple large Mountain Dew. The outlet shared how a man was so frustrated with the AI assistant that he yelled, punched the steering wheel, and drove off.
Why? Because the bot kept asking what he wanted to drink despite him already informing it.
Due to such experiences and complaints, the company paused these virtual assistants. However, it then moved forward with them, expanding to over 890 locations in 38 states.
Since technology is finicky, it’s likely these issues won’t be the last.
Subplot News reached out to Chris via Instagram and TikTok direct messages and to Taco Bell via press email. We will update this story if they respond.
@governor_megatron
