In a quirky turn of events, a British man discovered a clever way to enjoy free meals at McDonald’s for several months, all thanks to ChatGPT. This simple trick, relying on a little creativity and some sneaky maneuvering, has captured the attention of many who might have never imagined an AI-powered solution to a fast-food craving.
ChatGPT: More Than Just a Helpful Assistant
When most of us think about ChatGPT, we imagine it as a tool for answering questions, generating text, or helping with things like coding and writing. It’s a versatile AI capable of assisting with everything from creating recipes to offering financial advice. But here’s the twist: it can also help solve problems you might not expect—like getting free food.
ChatGPT is primarily known for its ability to generate written content and provide advice across a wide range of topics. It can even help developers write code in various programming languages or generate images with DALL-E. While the possibilities are truly vast, its most unexpected talent came to light in an unusual scenario: helping a man get free McDonald’s meals.
The Trick Behind the Free Meals
The man, a creative young Brit, managed to exploit a system designed to gather customer feedback at McDonald’s. Most people likely toss their receipt surveys aside without a second thought, but he saw an opportunity where others didn’t. Every McDonald’s receipt includes a unique code that can be used to access a customer satisfaction survey. The more complaints, the more likely you are to receive compensation, usually in the form of vouchers for free food.
Here’s where the magic happened: instead of simply completing the survey himself, this enterprising customer turned to ChatGPT for help. He would ask the AI to draft a complaint about his experience—specifically about receiving a subpar sandwich. The request was simple: “Write a complaint about a bad experience with a sandwich, under 12,000 characters.”
With a few clicks, he had a complaint letter that sounded genuine enough to warrant a response. He would then copy and paste this text into the survey, submitting it under the unique code on his receipt. McDonald‘s, eager to resolve any negative feedback, would contact him with vouchers for free meals as compensation.
If the complaint wasn’t detailed or convincing enough, he could always ask ChatGPT for a little rewrite to spice it up. A few small tweaks and the complaint was ready to go again. Over time, this clever strategy allowed him to rack up dozens of free meals.
How the Scheme Went Undetected for So Long
It wasn’t until nearly a year later that McDonald’s finally caught on. The free meal train came to an abrupt halt when the local McDonald’s began to notice an unusually high volume of complaints from this particular customer. There were even posters put up in the restaurant encouraging patrons to leave positive reviews to boost the restaurant’s ratings. Clearly, the franchise was trying to balance out the damage from the suspicious surge of negative feedback.
This cheeky tactic had worked so well that the man was able to score numerous free meals over the course of several months—without once paying for a single sandwich. It wasn’t until he discussed the entire episode in a podcast that McDonald’s finally began addressing the issue more seriously. His story, which had started as a clever experiment, eventually gained wider attention.
A Lesson in AI and Ethics
While his use of ChatGPT to get free food may sound amusing and resourceful, it also raises questions about the ethical use of AI in everyday life. This story serves as a reminder that, as advanced as AI has become, it is still a tool that can be used for both good and bad purposes. Just like any technology, it’s important to be mindful of how it’s applied.
For many, this episode might be more about the creativity and resourcefulness behind the trick than the ethical concerns it raises. ChatGPT wasn’t designed to get you free meals at fast food joints, but with a little out-of-the-box thinking, it certainly got the job done.
In the end, it’s a fun example of how people are finding new and inventive ways to use artificial intelligence. Whether you see it as clever ingenuity or as taking advantage of a system, this story offers a lighthearted reminder of how technology can sometimes lead to unexpected—and sometimes amusing—outcomes.
My name is Noah and I’m a dedicated member of the “Jason Deegan” team. With my passion for technology, I strive to bring you the latest and most exciting news in the world of high-tech.