Domino’s New AI Assistant Doesn’t Just Take Orders — It Speaks Your Language

Domino’s Pizza has long been at the forefront of innovation in the fast food sector, and now it’s taking artificial intelligence (AI) further than most. From predictive pizza prep to AI assistants with regional accents, the company is transforming not just how customers place orders—but how they feel about doing it.

For years, Domino’s and its competitors, such as Wingstop, have utilised AI-powered voice assistants to manage drive-thru and phone orders. But Domino’s latest strategy goes beyond automation—it aims for authenticity.

A Voice You’d Want to Talk To

One major upgrade: giving its AI assistants region-specific accents and conversational tones. Customers in Atlanta might hear a warm Southern voice; others might receive responses shaped by African American Vernacular English. All of this is delivered by technology developed by Rime Labs and ConverseNow—companies working to make AI feel less robotic and more like a real team member.

“It should sound like someone who could work at Domino’s,” said Lily Clifford, CEO of Rime Labs. And it’s working. AI now handles roughly 80% of phone orders in North America. According to Clifford, customer drop-off—where users opt to speak to a human instead—has plummeted.

This shift isn’t just for show. As Clifford puts it: “If you’re at the restaurant making pizzas and wings, you do not want to answer that phone.”

Predicting Orders Before You Hit ‘Submit’

AI’s role at Domino’s goes beyond speech. It’s now deeply embedded in operations. The company uses predictive algorithms to begin making a pizza before the customer completes their online order. It’s part of an effort to speed up delivery and maximise efficiency.

CEO Russell Weiner explained, “That means we’re making your pizza sooner. It means we’re bringing out the delivery driver quicker. It means more runs for them and more tips. It means faster delivery for you.”

The AI also helps avoid bottlenecks by eventually learning when to delay orders if the kitchen or drivers are overwhelmed—a task previously left to a human manager.

Behind the Scenes: AI in the Kitchen

Domino’s data science team, utilising NVIDIA DGX systems and Docker containers, has developed a robust infrastructure to support all this. Models that used to take three days to train now take just one hour to train. This accelerated timeline enables rapid iteration and improvement.

Order readiness predictions have jumped from 75% to 95% accuracy. New tools like BlazingSQL speed up data processing by 10 times, reducing some workflows from 24 hours to under one. These upgrades don’t just improve the customer experience—they make life easier for store teams, too.

One of Domino’s most attention-grabbing projects was the “Points for Pie” campaign, which used AI to identify images of pizza—including toy versions and plastic models—to reward customers with loyalty points.

Domino’s AI Highlights at a Glance

• AI handles 80% of phone orders in North America
• Regional accents are used to create more natural conversations
• Predictive baking starts before orders are completed
• AI boosts delivery speed and driver earnings
• 95% accuracy in order readiness predictions
• 10x faster data processing with NVIDIA GPUs

Not Just Tech for Tech’s Sake

Crucially, Domino’s isn’t using AI to replace human workers. The AI systems are designed to support overworked teams, not replace them. From freeing staff from the phones to improving kitchen workflows, the technology is designed to make stores run better, not leaner.

The next phase? Domino’s is working with Microsoft on an AI-powered assistant for store managers—a kind of digital co-pilot to help with scheduling, ordering stock, and answering operational questions in real-time.

This is the future Domino’s is building: one where AI doesn’t just crunch data—it listens, speaks, and supports. And where getting your favourite pizza faster might depend on an algorithm that knows when you’re hungry before you do.