Just Food

Daily Newsletter

07 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Signal: PepsiCo, General Mills lead AI hiring in food

The US giants had the most AI-related jobs open for application among food manufacturers in the first seven months of the year.

PepsiCo and General Mills have led the list of major food companies hiring for roles linked to AI so far in 2023, data suggests.

The US giants had the most AI-related jobs open for application among food manufacturers in the first seven months of the year, GlobalData, Just Food’s parent, said.

Between 1 January and 31 July, PepsiCo was advertising 150 positions linked to artificial intelligence, followed by General Mills with 123 open roles.

GlobalData’s job analytics database tracks daily job postings across multiple industries, including consumer goods. As part of the research and intelligence company’s analysis, it groups jobs by theme, providing an indication of where businesses are focusing their hiring efforts.

Nestlé ranked third, with 80 “active” AI-related roles at the KitKat maker. “Active” jobs denote roles open for application.

Unilever (with 52) and Mondelez International (31) rounded out the top five.

Food companies advertising for AI-related jobs, 1 January to 31 July 2023. Credit: GlobalData

Overall, among the food companies monitored by GlobalData, some 896 posts were open for application during the period that were tied to AI.

[Link src="https://www.just-food.com/interviews/ai-doesnt-replace-it-augments-how-ai-helps-mondelezs-rd/" title="“AI doesn’t replace. It augments” – how AI helps Mondelez’s R&D" font-size="20px"]

Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Disruptor data, which tracks all major deals, patents, company filings, hiring patterns and social media buzz across our sectors. These signals help us to uncover key innovation areas in the sector and the themes that drive them. They tell us about the topics on the minds of business leaders and investors, and indicate where leading companies are focusing their investment, deal-making and R&D efforts.

Generative AI remains an untapped potential across the consumer industry

GlobalData estimates the total AI market will be worth $909 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 35.2% between 2022 and 2030. The consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors are undergoing digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences. AI can help companies operating in these sectors by significantly reducing costs and production times. In Nestlé's 2022 full-year results, the company announced a renewed focus on digitalization to drive growth. Financial and reputational pressures associated with supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns are also driving interest in the digitalization of supply chains. Data science and ML are strong investments across all areas. However, the sectors cannot stop at AI-powered data analytics applications. They must also explore computer vision (CV), smart robots, AI sensors that automate manufacturing and distribution logistics, and generative AI tools that increase efficiency across corporate departments and customer service operations and enable innovation in product design. For the most part, the consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors will not play a significant role in creating and developing AI hardware or platforms. Instead, these sectors will help scale up the adoption of AI technologies, such as CV, conversational platforms, and smart robots. This adoption will be driven by the financial benefits and potential cost savings AI automation delivers across global supply chains.