McDonald's plans to significantly increase its investments in artificial intelligence by 2027 and aims to make India a key global hub for AI governance, engineering, and platform architecture. This was stated by Deshant Kaila, Head of Global Business Services Operations at McDonald's, during an interview on the sidelines of an event in Hyderabad on Friday.
Operating in India since 1996, McDonald's manages hundreds of restaurants across the country. Recently, the company opened a new center in Hyderabad, intended to be its largest global office outside the United States.
Currently, McDonald's uses AI to monitor orders at 400 restaurants to prevent possible errors before delivery. The company plans to roll out this technology to 40,000 restaurants worldwide by 2027, according to McDonald's Chief Technology Officer Durga Prakash.
In addition, McDonald's employs AI for sales forecasting, pricing strategies, product performance analysis, and developing personalized mobile applications that work across countries.
Deshant Kaila noted that while the India strategy focuses primarily on building the AI team, investments will mainly target technology and tools rather than increasing headcount.
McDonald's is also in talks to open a global office in Poland similar to those in India and Mexico. Earlier this year, the Indian state of Telangana announced that McDonald's would establish a global capability center in Hyderabad employing 2,000 people.
While India’s global capability centers were traditionally known for providing services through low-cost labor, in recent years they have evolved into strategic support hubs for operations, finance, and research for parent companies.
