To know what you want before you do
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| Maybe they can get us his tax returns |
For
example, in the category of “wheel-spinning” innovation — i.e., trying to
change a corporation’s course without actually changing anything — it’s hard to
top McDonald’s.
For
several years, the fast-food chain has been losing customers to younger chains
with healthier, more stylish offerings. So CEO Steve Easterbrook has tried to
recoup the losses with PR tricks, such as calling the menu “healthy” and
“fresh.”
Now,
though, he’s hit on an innovation that’ll surely cause hungry eaters to flock
to the Golden Arches: artificial intelligence.
Yes,
exclaimed Steve the Innovator, consumers need a robotic order-taker to advise
them on what to order — based on AI’s ability to digest unlimited data about
the weather, traffic, time of day, and what other people are ordering.
“Decision
technology” it’s called, and the CEO spent 300 million McDollars to buy these
so-called thinking machines, which the maker claims will provide “the rapid
and scalable creation of highly-targeted digital interactions.” Now, what could
be more inviting than that?
Easterbrook adds excitedly that his innovative
deployment of this artificial intelligence network will provide an “even more
personalized customer experience.”
Sure,
Steve, nothing like more computers to add a warm, personal touch to make a meal
more appealing.
Far
from helping customers, McDonald’s snazzy new AI ordering system will be
helping the corporation by silently compiling personal information on you,
ranging from your “movement patterns” to your license plate number.
As
Easterbrook admits, McDonald’s will use the technology to “make the most” of
the data collected.
OtherWords columnist Jim
Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. Distributed by
OtherWords.org.