Diners want to feel known. Restaurants will need to lean on machine learning to deliver predictive personalization and survive growing competition, Chief Experience Officer Sherif Mityas says. This is the third in a series of articles looking at the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in restaurants. Technology may be transforming what connection between diners and restaurants look like, but a core motivation remains unchanged: people want to eat where everybody knows their name. With machine learning, TGI Fridays has been able to learn much more about its guests -- from favorite meals to whether they prefer to receive marketing outreach via email or text -- and bring that personalization to scale.

"This tech is still in its infancy," Conversable and Hypergiant CEO Ben Lamm said he likes to remind his clients. Sherif Mityas, chief information officer and chief strategy officer at TGI Fridays, used that same metaphor when describing AI at his organization. "We code-name our AI products with the latest celebrity baby names because they are still infants," he said. And the sentiment was echoed by other panelists as well. While most are actively incorporating AI and machine learning into their work, they're also constantly testing, reevaluating and planning for a future when the technology will play an even bigger and potentially very different role within their organizations.

AI technology is becoming available to any company looking for a competitive edge, and now's the time to level up your marketing strategy with AI and ensure your next infrastructure move helps you exploit the AI advantage. So don't miss this VB Live event! In the past 14 months, overall engagement for restaurant chain TGI Fridays has grown more than 500 percent, says Sherif Mityas, the company's chief experience officer. And with personalized outreach, they've doubled online business in the last year, to the tune of millions of dollars. "AI has created a tremendous impact in driving our off-premise business in the last year," Mityas says.

This month's Tech Tracker takes a closer look at stealth AI tech used by TGI Fridays to personalize marketing Thank God, it's AI at TGI Fridays. While most casual-dining brands are betting big on customer-facing tablet technology, TGI Fridays is investing in artificial intelligence to harvest data that will drive diner frequency. Guests of the Dallas-based chain can now use a variety of social media platforms to place an order. From that customer interaction, TGI Fridays is using AI to identify ordering patterns, and that information is used to personalize marketing. If a guest order ribs through any of the platforms, for example, that data can be used to create future invitations based on that customer's food preferences, said Sherif Mityas, Fridays chief experience officer.

Artificial Intelligence is here, yes, but it's important to remember that the current capabilities of AI are a small part of what it can and probably will look like in the future, according to a panel gathered today for Adweek's Elevate: AI summit. "This tech is still in its infancy," Conversable CEO and founder Ben Lamm said he likes to remind his clients. Sherif Mityas, chief information officer and chief strategy officer at TGI Fridays, used that same metaphor when describing AI at his organization. "We code-name our AI products with the latest celebrity baby names because they are still infants," he said. And the sentiment was echoed by other panelists as well.

You've been on the road all day when a reprieve comes from your smartphone in the form of a ping from the local TGI Fridays, inviting you to pop in for half-price happy hour cocktails. Wearily, you coax your car there and go straight to the bar, hop on a stool and punch in your cocktail order on the tablet interface flashing on the bar top. An electronic coaster with your name appears, assuring you that your drink won't be confused with someone else's as the corporate crowd steadily swells. You use your smartphone to take a picture of a TV, which funnels the sound from the baseball game playing on it through your smartphone, granting you your own personal viewing experience. You kick back and wait for your beverage.