McDonald’s has announced it is partnering with Google Cloud to roll out generative AI (GenAI) technology across its restaurants around the world.

As part of its Accelerating the Arches strategy, the fast-food giant aims to connect thousands of its restaurants worldwide with Google Cloud technology to improve operations and customer and employee experience in an initiative it will set in motion from 2024.

The fast-food giant said the move would speed up automation from equipment manufacturers and enable restaurant general managers to quickly spot and enact solutions to reduce business disruptions, leading to benefits like “hotter, fresher food”.

"We're focused on making AI more helpful for everyone, with the potential to unlock many new opportunities for innovation," said Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and Alphabet. "The restaurant industry is already benefiting from these advances, and we're excited to see how McDonald's will use our generative AI, cloud, and edge computing tools to improve their iconic dining experience for their employees and their customers all over the world."

The company also said that as part of a range of new growth targets, it plans to target expansion to 50,000 restaurants globally by 2027.

McDonald’s also aims to expand its loyalty programmes from 150 million to 250 million 90-day active users by 2027.

"The McDonald's system has demonstrated exceptional execution of our Accelerating the Arches strategy and is delivering tremendous results across our key growth pillars," said McDonald's president and chief executive Chris Kempczinski. "We have a clear trajectory for future growth as we continue to build on the brand strength, global footprint and digital ecosystem that have resulted in unparalleled competitive advantages and cemented McDonald's as one of the world's leading consumer-facing brands."

Further plans under the company’s new strategy include deploying the ‘best burger’ initiative, which aims to improve the quality of its burgers, to nearly all markets by 2026.

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