Latest news with #HungryJacks
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Ethical questions raised over Hungry Jack's AI drive-through
The trial of an AI drive-through at a Sydney fast food restaurant has exposed how easily entry-level jobs could be replaced by software, raising ethical questions for businesses. Hungry Jack's confirmed it was testing a 'new digital voice-activated customer ordering system' at its St Peters restaurant to gauge its 'effectiveness'. Currently, it is only being used at the single franchise in Sydney's inner west but the company anticipates the trial would be 'rolled out to additional restaurants in the coming months'. 'Every 15-year-old just lost their job,' one person commented on a viral TikTok video which brought the virtual assistant to wider attention. Daswin De Silva, a professor of AI and analytics at La Trobe University, has been closely monitoring how industries and workforces were changing amid the rise of automation. He said the 'disturbing' use of conversational bots for low-level employment like a Hungry Jack's drive-through attendant raised questions about corporate ethics – something the federal government is being urged to consider when it comes to AI. 'The physical labour they are replacing is negligible compared to potential revenue generation capacity of such a large franchise organisation,' Professor De Silva said. 'This potentially will be receiving a huge backlash and … I'm assuming they'll have to roll this back because this is a very community embedded organisation. 'And if you're using AI for the least effort to job in your very large supply chain, that's something that will be judged harshly in the court of public opinion. 'That's not ethical, (or) a responsible business practice.' Discussion around the future of work has been back in the headlines in recent days after the boss of AI agent developer Anthropic predicted bots could wipe out half of white-collar jobs in America. Professor De Silva said it was important to take the musings of tech bosses with a grain of salt, but added he had seen evidence white-collar jobs in Australia were being affected. McDonald's signals an AI makeover McDonald's recently revealed it would be looking to give its 43,000 stores (there are an estimated 1,053 in Australia) a technology makeover. 'Our restaurants, frankly, can be very stressful,' the fast food giant's chief information officer Brian Rice told the Wall Street Journal in March. 'We have customers at the counter, we have customers at our drive-through, couriers coming in for delivery, delivery at curbside. That's a lot to deal with for our crew,. 'Technology solutions will alleviate the stress.' The fast food chain has been using Google Cloud since 2023 in a setup known as 'edge computing' in a bid to streamline processes in their stores. They say the technology will help with maintenance of key kitchen equipment like McFlurry ice cream machines along with progressing AI-powered drive-thrus and robotic deep fryers. McDonald's has made no mention of whether those advancements could come at the cost of blue-collar jobs typically taken up by teens enjoying their first start in the workforce. The fast food chain is one of the largest employers in Australia with an estimated 105,000 employees. Fast food rivals trial AI It comes after McDonald's ended its test of AI chatbots at drive-throughs in 100 locations around the US in July last year. The burger chain removed the AI-based order systems, giving no public reason for ending its test run, according to Restaurant Business. But it came amid reports of a string of mistakes with diners' meals – with customers saying they often received things they didn't order. Some of the mistakes included adding nine sweet teas to one customer's order and giving another customer an ice cream cone with bacon on top. Just months later, KFC Australia began trialling AI drive-through technology in five restaurants across the country, including South Penrith, Wetherill Park, Mt Druitt, Minto, and Frenchs Forest. Its name was Kacy, but despite the personification, the chain assured no jobs were being replaced by the technology. It appears to still be up and running, according to users on TikTok. 'Wealth shift' from people to tech companies Greg Sadler, chief executive of AI safety advocates Good Ancestors, said recent research found four in five Australians were concerned about negative outcomes from AI. He said AI was already outperforming humans at some tasks, and asserted that the majority of Australians found the technology 'scary'. 'Impressive AI agents are already being used and will be widely adopted. That could have significant impacts on entry-level jobs, from drive-throughs to medicine and law,' he said. 'AI replacing jobs could result in a significant wealth shift from countries like Australia to a small number of companies, mostly in California or Hangzhou. 'Australian businesses face commercial pressure to adopt AI. A problem they face is that AI can still be unpredictable, and leading AI labs push responsibility for harms onto businesses deploying AI. 'Because AI is a 'black box', Australian businesses have limited ability to manage its risks.' Professor De Silva said responsible uptake of AI could put Australia on the path to increased productivity, and help solve issues historically beyond human reach like global hunger and climate. But he said the avenue taken by Hungry Jack's, and other fast-food outlets around the world, only undermined trust in something that has a 'bad reputation'. 'And this only reinforces this, so large organisations who have … large revenue have a corporate social responsibility to make sure that the community is part of their organisation.' Less job adverts since Chat GPT Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei last week claimed rapidly improving AI could see US unemployment rate balloon to 20 per cent in 'a couple of years or less'. 'Most of them (workers) are unaware that this is about to happen. It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it,' he said. Professor De Silva said there was evidence that less software engineering and programming jobs were being advertised online post the release of Chat GPT in 2022. 'There is a significant drop in the number of software engineering or programming jobs that are being advertised. 'So this is sort of evidence to these predictions that are being made by some of the CEOs of the AI companies.' He said software jobs were among the 'first victims' of the AI boom but replacing physical labour with robots was much further off due to exorbitant costs. Costs for energy and subscriptions would also keep many small and medium Australian businesses from using AI bots instead of humans, Professor De Silva predicted. Aussies use AI but don't trust it Research compiled by KPMG released in April showed that although 50 per cent of Australian used it regularly, the country ranked low when it came to optimism and trust of AI. Professor Nicole Gillespie, chair of trust at Melbourne Business School at the University of Melbourne, said believing AI was safe to use was crucial to wider acceptance. 'Yet our research reveals that 78 per cent of Australians are concerned about a range of negative outcomes from the use of AI systems, and 37 per cent have personally experienced or observed negative outcomes ranging from inaccuracy, misinformation and manipulation, deskilling, and loss of privacy or IP,' she said. Newly minted Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Tim Ayres told an AI conference on Tuesday that Australia must 'lean in' to help shape the digital future. 'Core to this national interest is also using the digital economy and AI adoption as foundational to future productivity growth,' he said. 'AI adoption is not a future task for firms and government – it is well and truly underway. The Australian challenge is to lean in to adopt AI to lift productivity and living standards, deliver investment in infrastructure and capability and protect our security. 'To realise the opportunities where we can, and regulate where we must.' Professor De Silva, however, had a different opinion: 'It's probably safe to be a follower'. He pointed to the difference between AI regulation in Europe compared to the deregulation of the sector in Donald Trump's America, where he said 'all bets were off'. 'We have to be cautious, not being not being the first mover in this case, it's advantageous because it's got a huge potential negative impact. 'And we don't want to be the victims of that negative impact if it's done wrong.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Hungry Jacks sparks outrage over major change at drive-thru in Australia
A new trial at Hungry Jack's could mark the beginning of the end for a key fast food job. Hungry Jack's is trialling the use of AI drive-thru assistants at its St Peters restaurant in Sydney, and those wanting a meal will experience a digital voice-activated customer ordering system. The trial will be rolled out to other restaurants in the coming months, and many Aussies have started to question how many fast food workers will lose their jobs in the future. AI expert Niusha Shafiabady told Yahoo Finance that retail jobs were 'very likely' to change soon as AI begins to take over. 'At this stage, people are preparing our food, in the future robots will be preparing our food,' Ms Shafiabady said. 'I would anticipate with the work that Elon Musk is doing in developing humanoid robots that even within the next 10 years people wouldn't be preparing our food.' Restaurants around the world, including KFC, Wendy's, McDonald's, Chipotle, Domino's, and Taco Bell, have trialled AI software. Ms Shafiabady said AI would ultimately save businesses money but also reduce wait times. He said it would also take human error out of the equation, meaning orders would be more accurate and Aussies wouldn't have to turn their cars around and go back to claim a missing hamburger or chips. A Hungry Jack's spokesperson told Yahoo Finance the trial was put in place to see how effective AI technology was in helping 'service improvements'. Some Aussies online were outraged and worried about the new 'scary' AI technology and some even threatened to boycott Hungry Jack's over the trial. 'Goodbye to teenagers who need casual jobs,' one person said. 'How will kids get job experience with these jobs being replaced?' another said. 'You can't convince me all this investment in AI is cheaper than paying real wages,' a third said. Ms Shafiabady said the public would eventually accept AI's role in society. 'Even if they (Hungry Jack's) lose some of their customers in the beginning, people would get used to the technology,' she said. 'If you recall the first time that generative AI tools came to the market, like ChatGPT, people were not really comfortable using it. But now everybody's using them.' Other jobs that are expected to be impacted by AI in the next five years are bank tellers, cashiers, postal workers and administrative assistants, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report. The report predicted about 170million new jobs would be created this decade while 92million would be lost. Ms Shafiabady said the jobs involving repetitive tasks were the ones that would be most likely to be taken over by AI. She also said that while there would be fewer entry-level jobs in the future, AI would open up new job opportunities, with roles in automation, cybersecurity experts and people needed to analyse data. 'That's the reality. The types of jobs of the future will be different from the types of jobs that we have had now, and we have had before,' she said. 'If you look back hundreds of years ago, the types of jobs were different, so we are evolving and the types of jobs will be changing.'
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
‘That's so scary': Customer left shocked over AI drive thru
A shocked Aussie was left dumbfounded after going through a Hungry Jack's drive thru, only to be given an unexpected greeting. The popular food chain recently introduced a trial of Artificial Intelligence voice assistants to take people's orders at the drive thru. The fast food customer took to Tiktok, posting to his popular account pnuks, documenting his unexpected interaction while attempting to order a meal - with the video accumulating more than 750,000 views since yesterday. As he is ready to place an order, a screen with a female voice asks the driver 'what can I get you?' The clearly taken aback customer asks 'Are you AI?' and is responded to with 'I'm Hungry Jacks virtual helper, how can I help you.' 'That's so cooked,' the shocked Aussie said under his breath before placing his order. 'Can I get a large ultimate double whopper meal,' he said. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. 'Did you want double whopper,' the virtual assistant responded. 'Yes a large ultimate double whopper,' the customer clarified. The exchange carried on normally as the he ordered the meal and was told to drive through - prompting the Tiktoker to say 'God that's so scary.' He posted the video with the caption '(Rest in peace) teenagers wanting a job at Hungry Jacks', voicing concern for job safety as the pending fear of AI replacing workers continues to grow. It was a sentiment shared by the 1000+ comments on the video, with little showing support for the virtual helper. 'Goodbye to teenagers who need casual jobs,' one comment said. 'How will kids get job experience with these jobs being replaced?,' another concerned viewer wrote. 'People with accents we are going to have a hard time with this! Even my Siri struggles to understand me!,' someone else noted. 'Why is it so rude, the fact that teenagers are friendlier than an AI is insane,' another wrote. The customer was left shocked after this new feature. Credit: pnuks / Tiktok 'In a cost of living crisis house prices through the roof and now we fighting against AI technology in which thousands of jobs will be lost,' a viewer pointed out. While initially served by AI, customers can request to speak to an employee instead. KFC trailed a similar system 'voice ordering technology' at five of their restaurants in Sydney which was set to be a trial period as well but is still currently in use. The use of AI at fast food restaurants may be relatively new to Australia, but something that the States have been incorporating for a while now, and people have taken advantage of its short comings. The trend saw customers place ridiculous orders to try and beat the technology, with employees often having to overrule the orders.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Customer films ‘scary' new AI feature at Hungry Jack's
A fast food customer was left shocked after driving into a Hungry Jack's drive-through, only to be greeted by an AI (artificial intelligence) voice assistant. He took to TikTok to document the bizarre experience in a clip that has since gone viral with nearly 400k views. The video begins with the AI robot speaking to the driver through a digital screen. 'What can I get you?' the female voice assistant asks. The driver, shocked, replies, 'Are you AI?' to which it responded, 'I'm Hungry Jacks' virtual helper'. He then mumbles under his breath, 'That's so cooked,' and proceeds with his order – a large ultimate double whopper meal. @pnuks Rip teenagers wanting a job at @Hungry Jack's 🥲😅💀 ai aijobs hungryjacks hungryjacksfreeglass work employed drivethru ♬ original sound - pnuks The AI assistant confirms, 'Did you want double whopper?' and the customer clarifies he wants the large ultimate double whopper. The robot responds casually, 'Sure,' before asking if he wants his meal with Coke. 'Oh God no,' he replies, taken aback by the drink suggestion. He asks for an orange juice with no ice, and the assistant says, 'Okay,' before he adds another cheeseburger to his order. The AI helper then asks if there's anything else the driver wants before displaying the total bill on the screen and instructing him to go to the next window. 'God, that's so scary,' he says before ending the clip. He wrote in the caption: 'They just installed this last week'. Hungry Jack's confirmed the news, telling that the trial is happening in one specific Sydney store only. 'Hungry Jack's is trialling a new digital voice-activated customer ordering system at the St Peters restaurant drive-through,' a statement read. 'The test aims to determine the effectiveness of the technology in delivering service improvements. Customer feedback will be sought during the trial period. 'It is anticipated that the trial will be rolled out to additional restaurants in the coming months.' In the comments of the clip, many viewers expressed their unease at the new technology, with several echoing the customer's own reaction of being 'scared' by the robot. Some users joked about the end of an era for teenage fast-food jobs, saying: 'How will kids get job experience with these jobs being replaced?' 'You can't convince me all this investment in AI is cheaper than paying real wages,' someone else wrote. Others were outright against the change, with one user saying, 'I hate it' and 'We are doomed'. 'I'm turning into a boomer and driving straight to the window because absolutely not am I doing that,' someone else admitted. 'I hate AI, it's a joke,' another naysayer wrote. 'This is so sad,' another noted, as someone else declared, 'We do not need this'. Others raised accessibility concerns: 'People with accents, we are going to have a hard time with this! Even Siri struggles to understand me'. Meanwhile, some said they were unimpressed with the AI assistant's 'attitude'. 'It's so slow!' quipped one. 'Why is it so rude?' another asked. 'It's so passive aggressive with the 'okay',' said yet another TikToker. However, others were more on board with the concept and even thought the AI was polite. 'I like that she didn't rush you,' said one. Someone else pointed out that the technology will be great to reduce the amount of staff who have to work overnight. It comes after McDonald's ended its test of AI chatbots at drive-throughs in 100 locations around the US in July last year. The burger chain removed the AI-based order systems, giving no public reason for ending its test run, according to Restaurant Business. But it came amid reports of a string of mistakes with diners' meals – with customers saying they often received things they didn't order, according to The New York Post. Some of the mistakes included adding nine sweet teas to one customer's order and giving another customer an ice cream cone with bacon on top. Just months later, KFC Australia began trialling AI drive-through technology in five restaurants across the country, including South Penrith, Wetherill Park, Mt Druitt, Minto, and Frenchs Forest. Its name was Kacy, but despite the personification, the chain assured no jobs were being replaced by the technology. It appears to still be up and running, according to users on TikTok. In October, Australia's healthy fast-food chain Oliver's also introduced an AI drive-through assistant, Ollie, in a bid to shorten wait times. According to QSR, it is the world's first 'contextually aware' AI drive-through order taker. This means it can engage in unscripted, natural conversations and understands a wide range of accents and dialects.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Parents of teen workers accuse union of ‘predatory' sign-up tactics
The families of teenage workers at fast food and retail outlets have accused one of Australia's largest unions of 'predatory' recruitment tactics. Guardian Australia has spoken with several young workers and families who feel their teenagers were pressured to join the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) in their first days on the job, including a 14-year-old who was recruited in mid-2024 on her first shift at Hungry Jack's. Sarah* described the encounter as 'unsettling'. Mid-shift, her manager said there was someone there to speak with her. At first she assumed the SDA organiser was a fellow employee – he already knew so much about her. One-on-one at a table, he presented her with a membership form and instructed her to sign. 'When I struggled to recall my contact details, he directed me to retrieve them from my phone, guiding me through the form completion process as if it were mandatory,' she said in a statement. 'As a 14-year-old on my first day of employment, I felt vulnerable and ill-equipped to navigate this situation. I was … anxious about making a misstep.' Her father, Lachlan*, was outraged when she got home, and he called to cancel the membership. 'You've got a kid who's nervous as hell, starting their first job … It's just wrong,' he told Guardian Australia. Signing up new members is the bread and butter of any union, but former insiders said it is a particular priority for the SDA, which represents a young and highly transitory workforce. The union has historically been known for its close relationship with employers, influence within the right faction of the Labor party and conservative stance on social issues such as abortion. Maintaining its position as one of the largest unions in the country – despite declining membership across the retail sector - is key to the SDA's political influence. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Susan* said her 16-year-old daughter, Jess*, left a union induction session when she started work at Kmart in late 2024 with no understanding of what a union was. She thought it would pay her if she was ever sick or injured, so she signed up. Her mother only realised when Jess's union dues started to come out of her pay. 'They should've been allowed to bring that paperwork home,' Susan said, 'because they're not earning bugger-all at that age'. The national secretary of the SDA, Gerard Dwyer, said the union has measures in place to ensure that workers under the age of 18 'are treated with special care and attention', including a requirement that a letter be sent to parents outlining that workers can cancel their membership at any time as well as a two-week cooling off period. Susan told Guardian Australia she never received a letter from the union. Dwyer said the union could not comment on experiences like Sarah and Jess's without first-hand knowledge. 'Young workers face particular challenges at work, which is why the SDA takes educating young people about workplace rights and union membership very seriously,' he said. 'Any complaints, and they are few and far between, are treated systematically and seriously by the SDA.' Lachlan, said he got a text from the union around the time his daughter Sarah was signed up, but he did not believe that was sufficient. Lachlan is a union member himself, but in his view the SDA organiser's manner left no room for his daughter to say no. He said it was not the right approach for a 14-year-old first-time worker: 'I support the unions, but I don't support predatory tactics.' He said Sarah is now a member of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) – an upstart union that formed in 2016 in opposition to the SDA. A spokesperson for Hungry Jack's said the company 'has an agreement with the SDA'. 'The company supports freedom of association.' Georgia* was an organiser who left her job at the SDA after just a couple of months. Among other concerns, she was disturbed by what she claims was an emphasis on recruitment, especially of young people. She remembered taking aside a new worker at KFC who was only about 15 or 16. 'You get these two uniformed people, [saying] come on round the back, outside in the food court and we're gonna have a chat … it's just such an intimidating process,' she said. 'How could you reasonably be expected to understand what's happening or not feel pressured?' Georgia, along with several other former SDA organisers, confirmed the SDA has recruitment targets for its organisers. While this is not necessarily unusual, she said she felt there was more priority given to signing up new members than helping existing ones. 'The drive for members, members, members, members – it's from everyone,' she said. Luca*, another former SDA organiser, said the target at his branch was about 15 sign-up 'cards' per week. He never saw anything deceptive about the sign-up process and said he was told to contact the parents of those who signed up who were under the age of 18, but said the emphasis on recruitment was 'intense'. 'The recruitment target is always the elephant in the room,' he said. 'It's not why anyone works for a union, but it ends up being the driving force just by the nature of the system.' Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Everyone was honest, hard-working and believed what they were doing,' Luca said of his time at the SDA. '[But] leadership, they were in their own world. They're always going to be the ones focused on hitting the targets.' Accusations that the SDA prioritises its relationship with employers in order to maintain access to new workers at the expense of conditions have dogged the union, which remains highly influential within the Labor party. In the mid-2010s, a series of reports in the Age detailed how part-time workers at McDonald's, Coles and other retail employers were being underpaid due to deals negotiated by the union, leading to accusations of a 'cosy' relationship between the SDA and employers. '[The SDA] has always bargained in the best interests of workers within the industrial relations framework at the time,' the union said at the time. A number of SDA-brokered deals between workers and employers came under scrutiny at the time. Its 2015 deal with Coles, for example, had to be remedied after the Fair Work Commission decided it failed the 'Better-Off Overall Test' (BOOT) because a cut in penalty rates had left a substantial number of workers worse off. Andrew Stewart, a Queensland University of Technology professor of work and regulation, was a strong critic of the SDA for some of its earlier 'sweetheart' deals but said he has seen its strategy change. 'We've seen much greater willingness to not only push for genuinely better agreements at the big retailers but [also] the willingness to pick a fight,' he said, pointing to its current stoush with McDonald's to extend collective bargaining. Dwyer said the SDA's campaigns to ensure that supervisors have 'working with children' checks and that workers aged between 18 and 20 receive adult wages rather than junior rates were 'practical steps to improve the welfare and wellbeing of young workers'. Australia's largest two supermarkets, recently named as among the most profitable in the world, continue to provide a significant part of the SDA's membership base – but negotiations over worker compensation are increasingly bitter. James*, a former SDA official, told Guardian Australia that Woolworths retail stores share with the union a list of new hires by employee number, team and store. A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed: 'In the case of our retail team members, there are provisions set out in the [enterprise agreement] that allow unions access to new starters on their first shift.' Guardian analysis in December found that gross operating profits in the retail sector had increased by more than six times since 2001, according to ABS data. Meanwhile, retail wages had risen by less than half as much. Coles and Woolworths both struck SDA-brokered enterprise agreements in 2024 with store workers. The latter deal locked in base wages of about 40 cents an hour above the minimum award, which is now $25.65. In a case currently before the federal court, RAFFWU is arguing the 2024 Woolworths deal ought to be overturned. The agreement was approved with the Fair Work Commission, over objections from RAFFWU and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees' Union but with SDA support. RAFFWU said the FWC erred in its decision-making because the deal failed to pass the BOOT and because there were failures to complete a valid ballot process and ensure the agreement had been genuinely agreed. Woolworths denies these claims. It argued in its submission to court that RAFFWU's argument about the BOOT was 'untenable' and the RAFFWU's application should be dismissed. Close arrangements between an employer and a union create risks, critics say. Because they control the tap of access to new workers, employers could also one day turn it off. A previous sign-up form for the SDA's Victorian branch, seen by Guardian Australia, explicitly said in orange and white at the top: 'Woolworths encourages its employees to become members of the SDA'. Young workers say workplace organising is vital – but needs to be done in a more consultative way. Serena* was brought into a group SDA induction session when she was 17 and just about to start work at Kmart in March 2023. She said she filled out a card on the understanding she would receive more information to consider, when it was actually a sign-up form. She considered it 'sneaky practices'. Lucy*, then 16, described being signed up in the same way in an induction session when starting at Woolworths mid-last year. 'I also felt tricked,' she said. She says her parents cannot recall any contact from the SDA. Unions are 'absolutely essential for workers,' Serena said. 'But I just think that the SDA specifically … it's starting to feel less like a union and more just like a … union facade.' * Names have been changed to protect privacy. Do you know more? Email or abogle@
