The Domino’s pizza parlour chain is using artificial intelligence to monitor the performance of pizza making staff and, now, to rank against one another the franchisees that employ them.
Earlier this year Domino’ introduced image recognition and artificial intelligence technology to scan its pizzas and check that the pizza produced was the pizza ordered. It said the technology had been installed in all stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Domino’s said at the time the technology: “provides an indication of the food quality and its suitability to the standards set by the store and the end-customers’ requirements, in real time and acts as an efficient management tool.”
Domino’s Australia CEO Nick Knight said the technology could recognise, analyse and grade pizzas based on pizza type, correct toppings and even distribution of ingredients.
Now, its scope is being expanded to check not only on the pizzas but on the people making them. The move is yet one more example of the increasing level and sophistication of people monitoring enabled by AI, of which face recognition is the most famous example.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the technology will now be used to score franchisees on their performance and the company will introduce a bonus-linked scorecard system and internal rankings of stores with the best-looking pizzas.
“Domino’s will also incorporate the Pizza Checker into its operations evaluation reports (OER) for franchises, which will see the company work with stores that ‘fall below’ the benchmark set by their peers,” the SMH said, adding: “[Domino’s CEO Don] Meij refused to indicate … the consequences for stores who fail to improve their Pizza Checker scores even after the company works with them.”
