Chicago-based Mondelez produces Oreos, TUCs, Toblerones, and Milkas, among others. It is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to discover new flavors. The group does not use artificial intelligence like ChatGPT but instead uses machine learning – a traditional method that relies on specific parameters and algorithms.
In partnership with engineers at Mondelez the tool will design recipes according to parameters that are given. These include taste, flavor, and aroma, but also visual appearance. The AI will also take into consideration the nutritional value of ingredients and their impact on the environment when it calculates.
Goodbye testers?
After the recipe has been created, the cookies are prepared by humans who taste them and give their opinion on any changes. It keeps track of any failures and analyses the collected data to avoid making the same mistake again. AI-based flavor creation is four to five time faster than human methods, and reduces the chance of errors. The testers also gain. According to one tester who was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, your job could sometimes become a nightmare based on the food you eat all day.
Mondelez also assures in a press release that this approach will not replace human creativity and instead, the algorithms employed are catalysts for ideas humans haven’t thought of yet. The cookie company says that not all AI ideas are perfect. But neither are human-generated ideas.
Mondelez hasn’t been willing to share much information about its creative team. However, we do know that since 2019, the group has been working with AI to create 70 new projects. These algorithms were used to create Oreos Banana Split, Coca Cola Watermelon Apple Pie, Lemon Cream, Strawberry Milkshake, Lady Gaga, and Super Mario. It has also been reported that the tool was used to create gluten-free Oreos, and it slightly modified the recipe of Chips Ahoy – a cookie popular in this country. The AI cannot come up with anything because, while people like being surprised, they don’t want to be too surprised. They prefer to get back to their favorite brand’s original taste.
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