Pizza Hut, KFC want to take a bite of the AI pie, here's how

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If you thought that it was only the tech companies that are looking to ride the wave, then here’s some food for thought (pun intended). Yum Brands, which owns popular fast food chains like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC among others, is looking to go all out in embracing AI. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Joe Park, chief digital and technology officer, Yum Brands, said the company is ready to adopt an “AI-first mentality”.

As per the report, the company want to use AI to profile customers on the app and serve them personalised offers. Reportedly, 45 per cent of Yum Restaurant’s sales come from online orders and apps.

Furthermore, the company is looking at using generative AI for customer-related services. For instance, voice AI could be used for drive through orders or using image recognition to see how many cars are there and calculate wait times accordingly.

Not just that but the restaurant group is also looking to make its kitchens and appliances more tech-savvy. To optimise its operations further, the company plans to integrate digitally linked and manage kitchen appliances.

"Our vision of [quick-service restaurants] is that an AI-first mentality works every step of the way," Park said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “If you think about the major journeys within a restaurant that can be AI-powered, we believe it’s endless.”

In February, it was reported that Wendy’s was trying to integrate more tech in its operations and faced backlash on social media. According to a report by Reuters, Wendy’s was exploring the idea of having surge pricing for items on their menu. However, Wendy’s clarified that it wasn’t the company’s plan to introduce surge pricing now but it was something that the chain of restaurants has under consideration.