The Revolutionary Potential of AI in the Food Industry

In a world where the demand for food is projected by the United Nations to rise by 60% by 2050, addressing food security and minimizing environmental impact are paramount global challenge. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to emerge in the food and beverage industry, with companies like Walmart using it to manage stock, opening up the possibility of safer, healthier, and more sustainable practices.

A recent global study by BSI, the Trust in AI Poll, found that 42% of respondents said they believe the application of technology can help mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture and food production. But with a confidence gap, building trust is an essential ingredient in the recipe for realizing the benefits of AI.

AI Concerns

Advances in technology have historically played a pivotal role in enhancing food production. From the plow to refrigeration, innovation has consistently improved the quantity and quality of our food. Today, organizations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) are actively exploring how AI can contribute to a safer, more secure global food system.

Despite its potential, AI’s integration into the food industry remains relatively low. The poll found that only 25% of professionals in retail, food, and leisure report daily AI use in their jobs, which is among the lowest numbers of any sector.

Moreover, general concerns about AI replacing human roles and questions about regulatory oversight persist, with a recent Gallup poll showing that 22% of workers in the U.S. worry about AI making their jobs obsolete, and three-fifths of the Trust in AI Poll respondents (61%) stating that they felt international guidelines to enable the safe use of AI were essential; however, in the same poll, 73% of food industry workers expressed a willingness to trust AI with their tasks if they received appropriate training.

Amid this confidence gap in the food industry around the integration of AI into their work flows, there is a clear opportunity for industry players who use AI to demonstrate the benefits the technology can bring and to build greater trust in its application.

The AI Era Is Already Here

As the technology spreads, and assuming consumer trust in AI builds, it could help to solve some of the food and beverage industry’s biggest challenges. According to the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions fall ill every year due to contaminated food, making it one of the most prominent issues the industry faces.

But AI can comb through data keeping pace with production increases, bringing up the possibility that the technology could significantly reduce the incidence of foodborne illness by eliminating human errors during food production. Others are exploring how AI could expedite the detection of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, according to a report recently published in the Annual Review of Food Science and Technology (2023;14:517-538), leading to quicker and more accurate responses with clear benefits for human health.

The potential benefits of AI could also extend to combatting food fraud, which costs the global food sector billions annually, by replacing opportunities for human error with algorithms capable of detecting anomalies. However, 28% of people say they would not have the same degree of confidence in AI as they would with people in place to detect contamination issues in the food supply—a trust deficit that grows in the U.S. to 34%, the highest of any of the nine nations polled.

A lack of trust risks hampering the industry’s ability to capitalize on the potential of AI. Educating employees and consumers about the technology’s benefits could help build confidence.

Several organizations are leveraging AI to help their businesses and customers. For example, one start-up, provides retailers with a tool that practices dynamic pricing to save consumers money as a product gets closer to its expiration date, something that one in two (49%) respondents to the Trust in AI Poll said they wanted AI to be used for. Similarly, Walmart uses AI to keep track of items on shelves; data is captured from inventory scan towers attached to the automated floor scrubbers that are already traveling around the stores regularly. The inventory towers take thousands of photos, which are then analyzed by AI to determine which products need to be replenished for a more efficient shopping experience.

Another driving factor behind AI innovation in food production is sustainability, with 46% of people supporting the use of AI to make the food system more sustainable and health conscious. Agriculture consumes more water than any other industry according to a report from UNESCO on world water development; by using AI, farmers could maximize land use efficiency, reduce emissions and produce more food while conserving resources.

AI’s data-gathering capabilities also offer the potential to cater to consumer demand for transparency in nutritional content, ingredient provenance and food production methods.

Looking to the Future

The use of AI in the food industry, as with any sector, does raise vital questions about governance and ethics at all levels of the supply chain. Trust is paramount to navigating this consumer confidence gap; 75% of Trust in AI Poll respondents believe that increasing trust in the technology is the key ingredient for accepting AI in food manufacturing.

By harnessing AI’s potential while keeping human values at the core of innovation, we can build greater trust in the technology’s capacity to enhance our food systems, reduce risks, and promote health. Ongoing innovation in the industry also holds the potential to align with sustainability goals and boost consumer confidence in the origins and production of food. These outcomes can reinforce trust in AI and, ultimately, help accelerate progress toward a more sustainable world.

Coole is director, food and retail supply chain, BSI.