Yum! Brands, the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill restaurants, is embracing technology with plans for "AI-powered" fast food, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The company has been increasing investment in technology and automation, with about 45%, or $30 billion, of sales being digital – nearly twice what it was in 2019 – Yum's chief digital and technology manager Joe Park told the newspaper. That is roughly double the level of 2019.
For fast-food giants like Yum, the use of AI is aimed at going beyond improving the customer experience. Yum has a mobile app for restaurant managers called SuperApp, which the Wall Street Journal reported is testing generative AI, allowing team members to ask operational questions like how to set oven temperatures. Park told the Journal that the app – which is currently used by more than 8.