This Butte Chain’s Unique Feature First of Its Kind in U.S.

BUTTE, MT - Do you fear that your job will eventually be taken over by AI?

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Most Americans throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries have possessed fears that immigrants were going to take American jobs. Fast forward to the year 2024, and it is now feared that American jobs will be taken by artificial intelligence (AI). Whether either of those fears are valid, it's understandable to, you know, not want your job taken away. But as we approach the end of 2024, the use of AI technology is becoming more and more prevalent.

And depending on how much time you spend online, you can see the effect of AI every single day. Though you have probably seen sensationalized reports that "AI has taken over the internet!" or "Over 50% of online content is AI!", there is absolutely no way to tell just how far AI has gone in its reign over the internet. (In fact, the study that those articles sourced above is actually about AI language translations and their potential ineffectiveness, not about how much content online is AI-generated.)

That's what makes it so scary—how good AI technology is. You simply can't tell if that comment on Facebook that made you so angry was actually typed out by your angrier adversary, or if it was AI-generated. Hence why the fear of an American job overtaking is so relevant and, worse, possible.

That's where Taco Bell comes in. Imagine you're on your way to work but, because you're the lazy American we all are and skipped making yourself breakfast, you decide to stop by Taco Bell for some grub. You pull into the drive-thru (again, lazy American) and you hear an automated voice yell at you, "Hello! Thank you for coming to Taco Bell! What would you like to order?"

It's happened. AI has taken the job of that sweet lady you usually recognize because you go there almost every morning (is it even lazy at that point?). Now a cold, inhuman, too-many-questions-having bot rests in her place.

Butte's Taco Bell location on Harrison Avenue is one of the first locations in the country to test out its new AI features, with hundreds of more locations planned for conversion by the end of the year. Deemed a "pilot" location (one of a little more than 100 across the U.S.), Taco Bell on Harrison and its new scary AI drive-thru voice is meant to test out how the population handles and responds to our new AI overlords. Terminator tells us it won't end well, but who knows?

This is the new reality for many Americans working in the billion-dollar fast food industry: automation takeover. Though it's unclear whether or not employees are actually being fired to be replaced by AI, it is certainly taking a toll on the industry which has been witnessing a labor shortage since the 2020 pandemic.

So where does it all go from here? First, it got the cashiers, now it's taking the drive-thru employees, and who knows what's next? World domination? Oh, wait, good news! They'll just destroy us. Don't be surprised if the next time you drive through a fast food restaurant, a large, invasive arm reaches out the window to give you your sacred fast food.

Though the future may remain uncertain, one thing is for sure: even with the trillions and trillions of gigabytes of data these companies have gathered on you, they'll still get your order wrong.