About me: I am a third year student of Business Administration at the University of Arizona. I am fluent in four languages and I have over sixteen years of experience in Supply Chain. I believe AI is all around us, and this blog is aimed at proving exactly that.
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Did you see there’s a new Doritos flavor? It was created by AI
Consumer tastes change constantly. It is easy for companies to determine what consumers liked in the past. Nowadays, the push for innovation is not limited to electronics, fashion or transportation. Innovation is everywhere.
Ever wondered how that new flavored tuna came to be? Who thought of adding chipotle to tuna? Or Sriracha? It would surprise you to discover that you should not ask who but what.
Big companies like ConAgra and McCormick’s, just to name a few, rely on AI to come up to combinations of flavors by analyzing information, and identify current consumer trends as well as predict future ones. Most AI platforms use Salesforce.com to gather data from Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, among other sources. The data is pulling and the preparation for analytics is done automatically does saving time and money.
Traditional R&D is costly and time-consuming. By the time a new flavor is developed, consumer preferences may have already shifted. It is limited in its ability to predict future consumer preferences. AI utilizes information gathered through the points of sale, as well as social media platforms to pinpoint new consumer trends, identifying pockets of growth that the company my not be able to realize otherwise. The use of AI has helped companies in the food industry to revamp their offerings so as to attract new sectors of the consumer population. AI allows companies to use technology to foster growth by adding new flavors under already existing brands, thus constantly reinventing brand image.
For example, ConAgra was able to determine that there is a new type of consumer “Flexitarian”, people who would eat mostly vegetarian diets but who occasionally do include animal protein into their diets. With this information, ConAgra was able to develop Healthy Choice Power Bowls, dishes that include a high amount of grains and some animal protein.
McCormick’s was able to come up with new seasonings like Tuscan Chicken and Bourbon Pork Tenderloin as new seasoning mixes. In this case, McCormick’s hopes to reduce their R&D process by 70% thus being able to react to consumer trends much sooner.
So, next time you see a new flavor seasoning in the supermarket aisle, it could just be that it is the product of AI.
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