As restaurants speed ahead with artificial intelligence, they face a potential roadblock in their own customers.
A survey of more than 1,000 people by in-store music provider Mood Media found that consumers have mixed feelings about the technology, which is making its way into more restaurant drive-thrus, self-service kiosks and phone lines.
Restaurants see AI as a potential solution for their labor challenges and a way to operate more efficiently. But not all customers feel it’s necessary, and they’re not entirely sure they can trust it, according to the Mood study conducted last month.
On the bright side, the survey results show that, whether they like it or not, most people are comfortable placing their order with an AI bot at a fast-food restaurant. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being “not at all comfortable” and 5 being “very comfortable,” 26% said 5 and 24% said 4. Only 14% said 1.
They also highlighted some of the benefits they see coming from AI. The biggest was better accuracy (37%), followed by faster service (31%).
Consumers were by far most excited about AI being used in self-service ordering kiosks (31%), presumably to offer personalized recommendations. By comparison, just 16% said they were excited about AI-powered drive-thrus.
There was less agreement on whether restaurants need to use AI in the first place. Thirty percent of respondents said AI is an “unwanted evolution,” while 34% said it is a “nice-to-have.” Just 16% felt AI was a “must-have” for restaurants.
And consumers had concerns about AI’s reliability. More than 1 in 5 (21%) of customers said they were “very concerned” about privacy issues related to AI-powered personalized ordering in fast-food mobile apps. Another 29% said they were “somewhat concerned,” while 26% were neutral.
Meanwhile, 39% said they wouldn’t trust AI to handle their food allergies or dietary restrictions. Thirty-four percent said they would trust it, and 28% said maybe.
On that same front, 38% of consumers said it was “very important” for fast-food restaurants to communicate which parts of their service involve AI.
Perhaps most worrisome for restaurants is that consumers gave AI little room for error. Nearly a quarter (24%) said they would be less likely to visit a chain after having a negative experience with AI there. Another 28% said they would still visit but would avoid using the AI. Twenty percent said a negative experience wouldn’t affect their decision to visit, 17% would give the AI another chance, and 11% said they were unsure.
Notably, the survey results did not break down responses by age group, which tends to have a big impact on how a person feels about AI. The share of age ranges represented in the study were as follows: 18-24 (16%), 25-34 (19%), 35-44 (21%), 45-54 (19%), 55-64 (13%), 65+ (16%).
Nonetheless, the results are a reminder that while restaurant enthusiasm about AI grows, consumers are not totally convinced that the technology is safe, reliable and ready for prime time.
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