McDonald’s has launched its new AI-powered voice assistant, Archy, which now completes approximately 90% of drive-thru orders without human intervention. The system, developed in partnership with Google as part of the ArchIQ platform, supports both English and Spanish and processes order modifications in real time.
The pilot program for ArchIQ began in June 2026 at five locations in the United States. By September 2026, the testing expanded to more than a dozen US sites and included the company’s first international deployment in Australia. According to a franchisee, the system has already processed over one million orders.
This initiative follows a previous failed attempt with an IBM-powered system, which McDonald’s discontinued in 2024 due to accuracy issues. The current project is part of the broader McDonald’s Next strategy, which aims to modernize the brand’s 46,000 global locations.
Executives estimate that the ArchIQ system could save at least 50 labor hours per week at each restaurant. The company stated that these savings would not lead to staff reductions, as employees would be reassigned to tasks such as food preparation, cleaning, and customer service.
