The food industry is on the threshold of a profound digital transformation. With the Digital Food Monitor published for the first time German communications consultancy Engel & Zimmermann and  food and AI expert Hendrik Haase present a comprehensive reality check on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry. The study shows: The topic of AI is in the management levels of the food industry – but there is a gap between a strategic approach and between a strategic approach and everyday practice.
The survey of decision-makers – all at owner and management level – reveals a high level of interest in AI and initial pilot projects. At the same time numerous structural hurdles: a lack of expertise, a lack of orientation and uncertainty about benefits and costs are slowing down development. The proportion of AI-supported processes is currently less than 10 per cent. So far, AI has mainly been used selectively – for example in the predictive maintenance of systems, in process automation or to reduce energy and water consumption.
It is particularly striking that in product development, the central place of entrepreneurial innovation, AI is hardly used at all. “While start-ups have long since shown how data driven creativity makes new products possible, this area remains an analogue fortress in many established an analogue fortress in many established companies. The industry is in danger of moving into rhetoric of innovation without developing real innovation dynamics,” concludes Hendrik Haase.
Photo: Siemens
