CaliBurger to use facial recognition to take food orders
US fast food restaurant CaliBurger is trialling a new self-serve kiosk which uses AI and facial-recognition technology to allow customers to place orders, pay and log in to a rewards account. The facial recognition software will also enable customers to store their orders so that when they next visit, they can order their food just by looking in to the camera. The technology and security is developed and overseen by NEC Corporation. The sole test kiosk currently in operation can be found in the Pasadena CaliBurger store, with global rollouts pending a successful trial.

CaliBurger’s new kiosk uses facial recognition to take orders Finally, no more shaming when you ask for a diet Coke with your six burgers.

Cashier-less ordering kiosks are becoming more and more commonplace at fast food restaurants like Wendy's and McDonald's. But Golden State burger chain CaliBurger is taking that one step further: its new self-ordering kiosks use AI and facial-recognition technology to order, pay and log into the chain's loyalty/rewards program. It'll even remember your crazy custom order to boot.

"Our goal is to replace credit card swipes with face-based payments," parent company CEO John Miller said in a press release (PDF). Security and the underlying recognition tech are being handled by NEC Corporation. While this sounds incredibly convenient, it's basically just a high-tech way of pulling up a favorite order the way you would via a mobile-ordering app.

For now, the pilot program is only available at the chain's Pasadena test store, and CaliBurger says that if it proves a success there will be a global rollout next year. If you'll remember, that's the same location where CaliBurger tried out robotic burger-flipping. Unlike that test, though, this one seems expressly designed to eliminate human employees.