Key facts
- Chipotle's AI chatbot 'Ava Cado' reduced hiring time from 12 days to 4.
- The AI tool handles candidate communication, scheduling, and offer letters.
- Approximately 30% of scheduling work now occurs after hours due to the AI.
- Chipotle COO Jason Kidd stated time savings are reinvested into restaurant operations.
- Executives discussed AI's role in reshaping jobs rather than causing mass layoffs.
Chipotle's Chief Operating Officer Jason Kidd shared at Fortune's COO Summit that the company has implemented an AI chatbot named 'Ava Cado' to address the challenges of its hiring process, particularly in the high-turnover fast-casual industry. The AI tool is designed to alleviate administrative burdens on restaurant managers by engaging with job candidates, answering queries, collecting information, scheduling interviews, and sending offer letters. This innovation has resulted in a significant reduction in the time from application to the first day of employment, decreasing it from 12 days to four. Furthermore, 'Ava Cado' operates 24/7, leading to about 30% of scheduling tasks being completed outside of regular business hours. Kidd emphasized that the time saved through AI implementation is reinvested into restaurant operations, positioning the technology as an augmentation rather than a replacement for labor. Other executives on the panel, including Sushant Warikoo from Cognizant, Skip Potter from Bose, and Rashmi Kumar from Medtronic, discussed the broader implications of AI in the workplace, suggesting that AI is more likely to reshape jobs and amplify human potential rather than cause widespread job losses. They highlighted the importance of human oversight and the need to rethink work processes from the ground up for AI integration, especially as the technology advances towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).