CEO responses across various sectors to questions posed by major consulting firms (specifically, KPMG and EY) may vary significantly, but they all agree on one thing: emphasizing artificial intelligence and technological innovation to boost competitiveness. This characteristic is becoming imperative amidst the high volatility and uncertainty predicted for 2025.
In addition, talent management remains a priority with a clear focus on attracting, retaining, and developing employees. Below, we’ll explore four food-related sectors where AI is a key driver of change and business growth.
Applications and Technology
AI is already ubiquitous, but it’s truly revolutionizing the digital sector, bringing radical changes through tools that allow developers to create applications using only natural language or sketches, eliminating the need for coding from scratch.
Furthermore, platforms like AppSheet with Gemini are integrating artificial intelligence into applications, enhancing user interaction and personalization. This technology is also being applied in diverse sectors, from restaurants to quick payout casinos, where AI analyzes and optimizes code, detects errors, and improves user experience by adapting to preferences.
Related Article: The Evolution of Online Gaming to Adapt to New Technologies
Automotive Sector and Food Logistics
The automotive industry, with its long history and familiarity with digitalization, has found a new path to renewal in generative AI.
Firstly, this “environment-learning” technology could lead to more autonomous driving options, which already exist but are currently hindered by legislative roadblocks.
Moreover, predictive maintenance in factories and hyper-personalization in sales and distribution phases promise to reduce costs, which, ideally, would translate to lower final prices for cars, forklifts, and trucks. Ultimately, this new technology has the potential to transform the entire production process, from design to smart manufacturing, even helping to detect operational problems before they become costly failures.
Supermarket Shift Management
A clear example of how artificial intelligence is changing the way we work can be found in shift management in large supermarket chains, with Walmart serving as a prime case study.
Thanks to an AI-powered tool, managers at the company founded by Sam Walton can now optimize shift planning, reducing the time spent on this task by almost half. AI intelligently understands, prioritizes, and recommends tasks, improving operational efficiency. According to preliminary results, the new system has cut the time team leaders spend on shift planning from 90 minutes to just 30.
With the expansion of this technology, even smaller chains will have the opportunity to enhance operational capacity and streamline human resources management.
Robots in Retail Stores to Enhance the Shopping Experience
It’s often thought that the grocery sector is immune to technological change, but this is not the case. In the retail sector, automation and robots also have their place.
According to research conducted by Diagnostic Measurement Group, the majority of American shoppers have adopted a positive attitude towards robots in stores. In fact, nearly 96% of respondents expressed a favorable or neutral opinion.
In American stores, this technology is being used to improve price accuracy and product availability. For example, robots could help keep shelves stocked with the right products at the right prices, reducing consumer frustrations and enhancing the shopping experience.
Almost two-thirds of shoppers believe that stores with robots have an advantage over those that do not use them. However, the widespread use of this technology is not yet clear in the medium term.
Reimagining the Future with Present Tools
The results of KPMG’s CEO Outlook report are compelling. Seven out of ten CEOs view the incorporation of AI into processes as a priority, demonstrating that executives not only believe this technology enables optimization but can also be applied to the creation of new products and business models.
Ultimately, while industries face economic and operational challenges in 2025, the advancement of AI remains one of the strongest bets to ensure growth and competitiveness. As it continues to be implemented and expanded in the food and restaurant sectors, opportunities for industry improvement will continue to emerge, whether through more efficient processes or the elimination of repetitive tasks.