In an industry where most new product launches require extensive development times and often fail to achieve the desired outcomes, Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a crucial game changer.
AI tools enable quick adaptation to consumer trends by analyzing data from social media and consumer feedback. Additionally, AI models are employed to predict a product’s potential success before it reaches the market. These tools analyze a variety of metrics, from consumer willingness to purchase to market uniqueness, enabling brands to refine their products to better meet anticipated consumer demand1.
But in addition to areas more related to marketing, the role of AI can be extended from trend analysis to product formulation as Intellico did for Perfetti Van Melle, winning an award in the “SME Digitization” category at the Assolombarda Awards 2024, dedicated to Domenico Zucchetti, the founder of the Italian software house who passed away in September.
AI for Food Discovery
According to Il Sole 24 Ore, innovation in the food sector is increasingly a key parameter for competitiveness2. In this context, AI can contribute to the efficiency of the R&D process, accelerating the development of new products and reducing the waste of raw materials. Perfetti Van Melle – a multinational confectionery leader and one of the top producers of chewing gum and candies worldwide – engaged Intellico with the aim of exploring the use of AI models to support formulation activities, achieving predictions on both physical and sensory parameters. Intellico’s project won the digitization award for the SME category because it translated an AI model into a tool for everyday use: there was a significant reduction in the number of laboratory tests by 30 percent, the possibility of testing new formulations in a virtual laboratory, and the human-machine interaction through Explainable AI enabled a better understanding of the models and phenomena analyzed by increasing the team’s skills.
The lessons learned beyond the data
In an interview with Forbes3, the two project leaders highlighted the strengths of their collaboration that enabled them to achieve such significant results.
“This award not only recognizes the excellence and innovation of a project that, beyond focusing on data, emphasizes another important aspect of artificial intelligence: the importance of having a distinctive vision,” commented Francesca Saraceni, CEO of Intellico.
“If we have been able to implement a platform capable of using AI in our business processes, it is mainly because a partnership was formed with Intellico based on mutual respect andhonesty in understanding the potential and limitations of artificial intelligence,“ commented Marco Violi, global head of product development at Perfetti Van Melle.
These lessons learned demonstrate how AI projects should be founded not only on solid technological bases but also on a strong business orientation.
Want to know more about this topic? Visit our blog to find out how Intellico supports product development in the cosmetics and CPG sectors as well: https://intellico.ai/blog/explainable-ai-what-is-it-about-lets-discover-it-in-the-cpg-sector/
Sources:
- The Grocer, Why brands are adding AI to their NPD mix, October 2023
- Il Sole 24 Ore, 15th April 2024
- Forbes Italia, April 2024
