Growth Ritual #53

📋 IN THIS ISSUE: Learn from McDonald's Mistake: Secret to Making AI Work for Your Business

Mar 06, 2025

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Learn from McDonald's Mistake: Secret to Making AI Work for Your Business

Let’s face it. Right now, AI’s like a rookie chef: it might burn the kitchen down or whip up a masterpiece. Learn to steer it toward the Michelin stars.

Picture this: You’ve hired a newbie chef for your restaurant. They’ve got raw talent, but without the right guidance, they could set the kitchen ablaze or whip up a dish that goes viral for all the right reasons.

AI in business works the same way—it’s brimming with potential to transform how you operate, but if you don’t handle it carefully, it can lead to some pretty spectacular flops.

Let’s break down how to guide your AI from kitchen chaos to culinary brilliance, with real-world examples and some practical tips to keep you on track.

The Flops: When AI Sets the Kitchen on Fire

Take McDonald’s, for instance. In June 2024, they rolled out an AI-powered drive-thru chatbot to make ordering faster, but it turned into a fast-food fiasco. Customers asking for three nuggets ended up with 260—yes, 260! It was a hilarious mess that blew up online, but the lesson’s clear: they tried to fix something that wasn’t broken. If your process is already smooth, don’t shove AI in just for kicks.

Then there’s Google’s AI, which once suggested putting glue on pizza. I’m not kidding—glue! It pulled that gem from internet memes instead of actual recipes, proving that AI can churn out nonsense if you feed it junk data. The internet had a field day, but it was a wake-up call about the importance of quality ingredients.

Tesla’s self-driving cars are another example. They’re impressive, no doubt, but researchers found that a few stickers on the road could trick the AI into swerving dangerously. It’s like a prank gone wrong—cool tech, but without constant checks, it’s a recipe for trouble.

Microsoft's experimental chatbot Tay was supposed to learn and engage in friendly conversation on Twitter. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about the internet's capacity for mischief. Within hours of its launch, Tay began spewing offensive and inappropriate content, learning the worst from its human interactions.

The experiment was shut down rapidly, but not before becoming a viral sensation demonstrating the risks of unleashing AI without robust safeguards.

In a cringe-worthy example of algorithmic bias, Amazon created an AI recruiting tool that became a textbook case of technological discrimination. The system, trained predominantly on male candidates' resumes, developed a strong preference for male applicants.

The result? An AI that systematically disadvantaged women, effectively turning the hiring process into a digital boys' club. Amazon was forced to scrap the entire project - a costly reminder that AI reflects the biases of its creators and training data.

The Wins: When AI Serves Up a Masterpiece

On the flip side, some companies have turned their AI into a culinary rockstar. PayPal saw how clunky online payments were and used AI to streamline the whole process. Suddenly, buying stuff online wasn’t a headache anymore—it was a breeze. They spotted a real problem and fixed it, earning fintech gold.

Twitch is another champ. They figured out that gamers love watching others play, so they built a platform with AI that personalizes streams and recommendations. It’s like having a sous-chef who knows exactly what the crowd wants—now it’s a global sensation.

And Netflix? Their AI is basically your best friend who always picks the perfect show. By analyzing your viewing habits, it serves up recommendations that keep you hooked. They took data, turned it into a secret sauce, and made binge-watching an art form.

How to Train Your AI Chef

So, how do you steer your AI toward Michelin-star status instead of a kitchen fire? Here’s your recipe for success:

Find Real Problems—Don’t Make Them Up
Don’t force AI into areas that are already working fine. McDonald’s drive-thru was humming along—until they overcomplicated it. Look for genuine pain points instead.
Feed It Quality Ingredients
AI thrives on good data. Feed it garbage, and you’ll get glue-on-pizza-level results. Give it clean, diverse info that reflects the real world, and you’re golden.
Keep an Eye on the Stove
AI’s smart, but it’s not flawless. Tesla’s sticker snafu shows it can be fooled, so supervise it like you would a trainee chef—catch the mistakes before they burn the place down.
Map the Customer’s Dining Experience
Follow your customer’s journey from start to finish. Where’s the friction? Twitch nailed this by seeing that gamers wanted a better way to watch, not just play. That’s where AI can shine.
Focus on the Weak Links
Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. PayPal zeroed in on one pain point—online payments—and crushed it. Pick a problem, solve it well, and build from there.

The Strategic Framework for AI Success: Understanding the Customer Value Chain

Successful AI implementation starts with a deep understanding of your customer's journey. Break down every step:

Value-Creating Activities: Moments that bring genuine customer satisfaction
Value-Eroding Activities: Unnecessary steps that frustrate customers
Value-Capturing Activities: How value is monetized

The Decoupling Strategy

Identify Weak Links: Find the most frustrating parts of your customer's experience
Focus Intensely: Don't try to solve everything at once
Create a Targeted Solution: Solve one specific problem exceptionally well

Leading Through the AI Transformation: Managing Employee Fears and Expectations

AI isn't about replacing humans - it's about empowering them. Here's how to navigate the transition:

Productivity Enhancement

Use AI to handle repetitive tasks
Free up employees for high-value, creative work
Treat AI like a 24/7 intern that needs guidance

Skill Redevelopment

For roles heavily impacted by AI, create reskilling programs
Redirect human talent to innovation and strategic thinking
View AI as a collaborator, not a replacement

The Three AI Strategic Buckets

Generative AI: Content creation and ideation
Predictive AI: Forecasting and trend analysis
Automation AI: Process execution and optimization

Final Thoughts

AI isn't a magic wand - it's a powerful tool that requires strategy, empathy, and a deep understanding of human needs. The most successful implementations won't be about the most advanced technology, but about solving real problems in innovative ways.

With these tricks up your sleeve, your AI can go from a rookie fumbling with the fryer to a master chef dishing out innovations that wow your customers and beef up your bottom line.

So, roll up your sleeves, step into the kitchen, and start experimenting with AI—just maybe keep a fire extinguisher handy, you know, for safety’s sake.

10 Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known AI Products Adored by Users in 2025

Perplexity AI: A conversational search engine blending AI chat with real-time web data, perfect for research.
ElevenLabs: High-quality AI voice cloning and text-to-speech, ideal for podcasts and audiobooks.
Synthesia: Produces videos using text prompts, features AI avatars speaking in over 120 languages, for training/marketing videos.
Fireflies.ai: AI meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes calls or virtual meetings.
Krisp: AI noise-cancellation tool for crystal-clear audio in calls, a favorite for remote workers.
Jasper: Copywriting tool built on OpenAI, writes in 50 templates, checks grammar/plagiarism.
Replit: AI-assisted coding platform with real-time collaboration, loved by developers and learners.
RunwayML: AI-powered video editing tool for creators, offering features like text-to-video and inpainting.
Otter.ai: Real-time voice-to-text transcription for meetings, lectures, and interviews, with collaboration features.
Lumen5: Turns text into engaging videos using AI, perfect for quick marketing or social media content.