Quick-service restaurant (QSR) giant Yum! Brands has announced a strategic partnership with Nvidia to enhance and expand its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across its restaurant brands. This collaboration will see the implementation of advanced AI solutions at Yum! Brands’ popular chains, including KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill. The announcement was made in a press release on March 18, where both companies outlined the significant benefits expected from this partnership.
The collaboration aims to scale Yum! Brands’ existing proprietary AI-driven restaurant technology platform known as Byte by Yum!. Joe Park, chief digital and technology officer at Yum! Brands and president of Byte by Yum!, emphasized the potential of this partnership, stating, “This partnership will enable us to harness the rich consumer and operational datasets on our Byte by Yum! integrated platform to build smarter AI engines that will create easier experiences for our customers and team members.”
The AI solutions to be developed through this partnership include several groundbreaking technologies. These will feature voice-automated order-taking AI agents designed for drive-thru and call center operations, as well as computer vision systems aimed at optimizing drive-thru efficiency and managing back-of-house labor. Additionally, AI-driven analytics will assist in evaluating restaurant performance and creating tailored action plans for managers, significantly enhancing operational effectiveness.
Yum! Brands has already initiated pilot programs for various AI solutions in select Taco Bell and Pizza Hut locations. Following the success of these trials, the company plans to roll out the new technology to 500 locations of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, and Habit Burger during the second quarter of the year. This expansion reflects Yum! Brands' commitment to integrating AI into its operations to streamline processes and enhance customer interactions.
Looking forward, Yum! Brands is set to continue its journey in AI by incorporating more advanced models and developing proprietary solutions utilizing the latest Nvidia software. Andrew Sun, global director of retail, CPG, and QSR business development at Nvidia, highlighted the significance of this collaboration, stating that integrating Nvidia AI software with Yum! Brands breaks barriers to innovation in the restaurant industry. This partnership will deliver real-time, context-aware intelligence, powered by a scalable inference platform.
As of February, Yum! Brands revealed that the Byte by Yum! AI-driven platform was already operational at 25,000 locations worldwide and is set for broader implementation across its global footprint. In a previous announcement in November, the company noted that it had successfully processed over 2 million orders using its drive-thru voice AI system, which was already in place at over 300 Taco Bell locations in the U.S. Many franchisees have expressed interest in adopting this innovative technology for their own stores.
This partnership between Yum! Brands and Nvidia marks a significant step forward in the integration of artificial intelligence within the quick-service restaurant industry, promising to deliver enhanced customer experiences and operational efficiencies across its global brands.
