Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important driving force leading a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. The 2023 Central Economic Work Conference proposed to vigorously promote new industrialization, develop the digital economy, and accelerate the development of artificial intelligence. In recent years, the in-depth application of AI in the food industry has injected new momentum into the development of the industry. According to data released by market analyst Mordor Intelligence, the application value of artificial intelligence in the food and beverage market is expected to reach $29.94 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 45.77% from 2021 to 2026. As AI penetrates into all aspects of the food industry, how to view the positive and negative effects of AI in the food field has also become a hot topic of discussion in the industry and scientific circles.

Designing recipes, drawing packaging ......

AI is integrated into the whole chain of food brands

At the beginning of 2023, artificial intelligence represented by ChatGPT is menacing, and a number of "AI+" ideas have emerged in the food industry in marketing, packaging, products and other aspects.

"AI technology has a wide range of application prospects and market space in the food and beverage industry, and plays an important role in every link from R&D, production, sales to quality control. AI technology has improved the production efficiency of enterprises, which will help enterprises optimize their sales models, change their product development and innovation methods, and profoundly change the market competition pattern of the food and beverage industry. Guo Tao, a senior artificial intelligence expert, said.

Previously, Coca-Cola's global creative platform "Lechuang Unbounded" launched a new limited product - the first sugar-free Coca-Cola "Next 3000 Years" jointly created by AI. It is understood that this is a commercial product with the participation of AI technology from taste research and development, packaging design to product promotion.

There are also many food brands that use AI as a key means of digital transformation, constantly pushing the boundaries of imagination. Nestlé was one of the first food and beverage companies to enter the AI market, trying to improve employee productivity by providing generative AI to employees for their daily work. At the end of 2023, McDonald's announced a partnership with Google to deploy generative AI to optimize the massive data of thousands of restaurants, hoping to improve the efficiency of restaurant operations.

AI technology is bringing a disruptive technological revolution to the food industry. In addition to providing assistance in the daily office, AI has shown amazing efficiency and "talent" in the speed of new product development, the novelty of ideas, and the grasp of consumers' taste preferences.

In October 2022, Kraft Heinz released plant-based cheese developed based on AI technology.

In March 2023, Zhongxuegao launched a popsicle with "AI full-link creation" as the selling point, and the product relies on AI technology to complete multiple aspects from naming, flavor selection, packaging design, and product promotion;

In April, Yili launched 6 AI-made milk packaging designs, corresponding to 6 keywords of "sense of science and technology, natural vitality, oriental aesthetics, sense of the future, minimalism and innocence".

In May, Wang Laoji launched the first batch of AI-designed tanks - "Qianli River Mountain Can", "Mountain Creek Moonlight Can", "Ascending Wangqiu Can" and "Green Pine Lingyun Can".

The relevant person in charge of Wang Laoji once said, "In the production and design process, AI technology can provide more diversified ideas and technical assistance, and in a field that requires great creativity in design, the company can use AI tools to efficiently present the creativity." ”