Burger King is piloting artificial intelligence powered headsets in 500 US restaurants that monitor employee interactions with customers, assign friendliness scores, and assist with store operations. The system, known as BK Assistant, analyses drive through conversations and provides real time prompts to staff, raising questions about workplace surveillance as the rollout expands.
How The BK Assistant Works
The AI platform includes a chat bot called Patty, which is embedded in employee headsets. According to a promotional video shared with the BBC, Patty answers questions about menu preparation and alerts workers when products need restocking. In one example, the system notifies an employee that a machine is running low on Diet Coke. In another, a worker asks for a reminder on how to prepare a menu item.
Burger King’s chief digital officer told The Verge that the OpenAI powered system was trained to detect words such as please and thank you in order to assess staff friendliness. The platform analyses audio from drive through interactions and compiles friendliness scores for restaurant teams.
Rollout Plans And Company Statement
A Burger King spokesperson told the BBC that 500 US restaurants are currently testing the system and that all US locations are expected to have access to the BK Assistant platform by the end of 2026. Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s parent company, said in a statement that the tool is designed to streamline operations so managers and staff can focus more on guest service and team leadership.
In one promotional clip, the chat bot tells a staff member that the team’s friendliness scores for the morning were the highest of the week.
Reaction And Surveillance Concerns
The monitoring function has drawn criticism on social media, with some users describing the system as dystopian. Others have questioned how accurately AI powered headsets can evaluate behaviour, noting that AI tools can produce errors.
Customer service calls have long been recorded and monitored, and employees are often aware that their language may be assessed. The expanded use of AI to track in store interactions has prompted debate about how far monitoring should extend.
Industry Context
Burger King is not alone in exploring AI tools for restaurant operations. Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, announced last year that it had partnered with Nvidia to develop AI systems for its restaurants.
Featured image credits: rawpixel.com
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