During the AI for Good webinar titled “Shaping Tomorrow’s Plates: The Future of Food with AI”, experts discussed how AI is transforming global food systems. Moderated by Erika Marthins, founder of Augmented Food Studio, the session tackled AI’s role in creating sustainable food practices, advancing nutrition science, and addressing ethical challenges. Setting the tone for the discussion, Erika remarked:
“Our food systems are complex and opaque and making it difficult to make informed decisions that benefits both people and our planet. […] This is where the power of AI comes into play, envisioning a future where AI empowers us to make informed and intelligent choices in real time minimizing food waste, customizing diets to promote overall health and optimizing resources across the entire food chain.”
The panel featured insights from Martin Bailey, Head of Unit of AI for Societal Good, European Union AI Office; Dr. Giulia Menichetti, faculty member, Harvard Medical School; Thomas Ullram, Global Marketing Director, Givaudan; Dr. Johnny Drain, co-founder of WNWN Food Labs; and Yariv Adan, Founding Partner, future-fund.ai.
Expert insights into AI and food systems
The session began with a series of compelling presentations from the panelists, each offering unique perspectives on the future of food.
Martin Bailey explained the work of the European AI Office, which focuses on AI applications in health, disaster preparedness, urban planning, health diagnostics, energy optimization, and biotechnology – a key focus for future efforts. He emphasized that as global food demand rises, AI can offer solutions to meet this need while minimizing environmental impact.
“Digital twins and AI models can be hugely helpful in modeling how proteins and existing or new food sources can provide us more nutrition, be healthier, and of course less impact on the planet,” Bailey explained.
Looking ahead, he highlighted biotechnology as a key area for AI innovation, with potential to transform farming, healthcare, and energy sectors.
Dr. Giulia Menichetti shared insights from the Foodome Project, which uses AI and network science to explore the “dark matter” of nutrition — thousands of undocumented food compounds. Inspired by the Human Genome Project, her team expanded the database from 26,000 to 139,000 compounds, uncovering bioactive molecules with significant health benefits. She emphasized the need for improved data collection and integration to address gaps in understanding food’s chemical complexity and its impact on health.
Thomas Ullram discussed how his company leverages AI across the food value chain to create innovative, sustainable, and consumer-focused solutions. Givaudan, a producer of natural ingredients for the food and beverage industry, focuses on taste and texture as critical drivers of consumer choices. By integrating AI into their processes, Givaudan combines data insights with creativity to predict and shape future food experiences.
“Our interest lies in the future—our interest lies in […] using AI for those predictions, which is really the powerful part of it,” Ullram explained.
Dr. Johnny Drain shared his journey from modeling atomic interactions to enhancing food sustainability, nutrition, and taste through AI. Drawing on experiences like co-founding WNWN Food Labs, which developed cocoa-free chocolate, and the Augmented Food Studio, he emphasized AI’s potential to accelerate product development, improve sustainability with precision agriculture, reduce food waste, and personalize consumer choices.
“We can use AI as a really powerful tool to ensure that current food systems that don’t use AI are as ethical as possible, but we need to make sure that any AI systems that we introduce are also abiding by ethical frameworks,” Dr. Drain explained.
Finally, Yariv Adan highlighted AI’s potential to address global food challenges by scaling knowledge to improve crop yields, reduce waste, and connect urban populations with nutritious food. Drawing from his experience in emerging markets and personal health challenges, he explored AI’s ability to provide tailored guidance on diet and habits. Noting a 40% efficiency gap in food supply chains, he emphasized how AI can optimize consumption trends. With advancements in AI accessibility and natural language processing, Adan called for scaling solutions and fostering collaboration to transform food systems on a global level.
Watch the full session here:
Unlocking AI’s potential in food systems
The panel transitioned into an engaging discussion structured around three key themes: sustainability, nutrition science, and ethical considerations.
AI for sustainable food systems
The panel explored how AI is redefining sustainability in food systems, presenting a vision of smarter, more efficient practices. Bailey outlined the EU’s strides in precision agriculture, where AI helps optimize crop yields, reduce waste, and limit chemical use. He also pointed to AI’s potential in developing resilient crops and alternative proteins, crucial for meeting future global food demands sustainably.
Adding an industry perspective, Ullram described how Givaudan uses AI to manage the complexity of global supply chains. With thousands of raw materials sourced worldwide, AI enhances transparency and traceability, identifying reliable suppliers and ensuring sustainability standards are met. Beyond solving present challenges, he highlighted AI’s role in scenario planning, predicting future crop trends, and preparing for long-term biotech innovations.
Dr. Drain shifted the focus to systemic barriers in agriculture, noting how resistance to change among large corporations slows the adoption of AI. He emphasized the need to support agile startups that can introduce transformative solutions, such as reducing food waste and improving sustainability practices. According to Johnny, startups, unburdened by legacy systems, are uniquely positioned to deploy cutting-edge AI technologies and drive meaningful change.
Dr. Menichetti highlighted the significant data gaps that limit AI’s potential to transform food systems sustainably. She noted how nutrition science lags other fields in data availability and harmonization.
“If we don’t start collecting, harmonizing, and creating banks of data with very good metadata about food composition, […] we won’t be able to inform all these AI models in the best way possible,” Dr. Menichetti warned.
She also stressed the importance of educating stakeholders to ensure AI is used effectively and informed by robust, nuanced data.
AI for nutrition science and health
The panel discussed AI’s potential to revolutionize nutrition by addressing inefficiencies and bridging knowledge gaps. Adan highlighted how AI tools, such as recipe apps based on available ingredients, can empower consumers to make better dietary choices and reduce food waste. Bailey stressed the importance of educating both consumers and corporations to integrate AI for healthier food systems.
Ullram proposed AI-driven personalized grocery options and meal plans to simplify decisions, reducing the need for consumer education. Dr. Menichetti emphasized AI’s role as a “translator,” clarifying complex nutritional information and nudging consumers toward healthier choices. She also stressed the need for transparent, harmonized data to ensure AI effectiveness.
Focusing on the ethical implications, Dr. Drain called for diverse and unbiased AI systems to serve global populations equitably. The discussion underscored the need for collaboration, robust data, and ethical practices to harness AI’s potential in transforming nutrition science and behavior.
Ethical implications of AI-driven systems
The panel explored ethical challenges in applying AI to food systems, focusing on responsibility, inclusivity, and equitable access. Ullram stressed the importance of transparency and ethical handling of consumer data, highlighting the increased responsibility companies face with hyper-personalization in food and nutrition.
Bailey warned against monopolization in AI-driven agriculture and food technology, emphasizing the need to support startups through funding, regulatory flexibility, and access to shared resources. He advocated for preventing dominance by large corporations to ensure innovation remains diverse and inclusive.
Dr. Drain highlighted the risk of AI becoming overly commercialized, urging stakeholders to preserve its potential as a tool for education and creativity. He emphasized the importance of using AI to foster solutions that prioritize consumer well-being over marketing-driven objectives.
Dr. Menichetti called for a balance between personalized nutrition and broader public health goals. While AI’s ability to tailor solutions is promising, she stressed the need to address global issues like malnutrition with existing data. She underscored the importance of tackling large-scale challenges now, while gradually advancing personalization to complement these efforts in the future.
A glimpse into the future
The session wrapped up with an exploration of the potential and challenges AI brings to food systems. Panelists highlighted AI’s transformative ability to address sustainability, improve nutrition, and streamline food production, while emphasizing the importance of ethical implementation, robust data integration, and collaboration to maximize its benefits.
Yariv Adan expressed optimism, focusing on the practicality of incremental changes:
“I’m excited because I think it’s a huge problem, but there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit. Without taking big risks, we can make immediate differences in different places and build trust as we go.”
The session concluded with Erika Marthins emphasizing the universal impact of food systems, noting that the integration of AI is about more than just technology – it’s about addressing the needs of humanity. She urged stakeholders to collaborate in creating a future where AI contributes to nourishing both individuals and the planet.
With diverse insights and actionable strategies, the session highlighted AI as a promising tool for revolutionizing food systems—an exciting frontier in the quest for a more sustainable and equitable future.
