Figure 1
The most endangered workers in the low-skilled labor pool are retail clerks, cooks, food prep and transportation workers – the majority of the frontline food industry workforce. These are often jobs that provide a path of entry into the workforce for young workers or those returning to the labor market.
But if history is any indication, the low-skilled jobs lost to automation and AI will give rise to new high-skill jobs. Two types of expertise that will be in high demand, according to our study, are related to AI and the internet of things (IoT). Two-thirds of respondents ranked AI as the most important skill over the next two to five years. Computer vision platforms that ensure food safety, new product formulation and even cooking food are all processes now augmented by advances in AI. The demand for IoT skills by 61% of survey respondents is driven by the proliferation of sensor-outfitted systems throughout the supply chain.
Feeding the future
Eating is a sensory, cultural experience, and so work in the food industry needs to maintain a human touch. The destabilization of growing environments, explosive population growth and shifting consumer behavior all exert forces on one another, while also influencing the technological innovations needed for a functioning food system.
Winners in the future of food will be businesses that don’t rail against these trends, but instead pick up on the cues of their customers and serve them accordingly — while using technology to combat emerging environmental challenges. We suggest food companies implement the following recommendations, and do so as soon as possible in order to maximize their competitive advantage:
- Move fast and fix things: While there’s an imperative to keep pace with AI innovators, too many people rely on precarious food systems to disrupt them for the sake of innovation. The typical Silicon Valley approach won’t work here. Instead, use AI and automation to discover new solutions for previously identified customer pain points, such as Dynamic Yield’s food ordering kiosks that use environmental cues to predict and improve customer orders.
- Collaborate with innovative, agile partners: A robust innovation scene is already in motion in the food industry, with myriad startups and accelerators. Launching an accelerator or partnering with existing organizations pairs innovative thinking with in-house expertise. Chobani has reaped the benefits of this approach; the company’s incubator program supports food industry startups, and the company has already added 30 program participants to its portfolio.
- Bring the robots, but mind the humans: Work in the food industry needs to maintain a human touch, no matter how tech-driven it becomes. Even as robotics and automation proliferate, enterprises in the industry should double down on anthropological and psychological studies to enhance the sense of humanity. Miso Robotics learned the value of this approach when it discovered that even hyper-efficient burger-flipping robots needed interventions to maintain the teamwork required for an effective kitchen.
- Embrace new models: The pace of change in the food industry is the fastest it’s ever been. Those who fight this change will be left behind. Instead, businesses should observe cultural shifts (such as consumers spending less time cooking at home, or expectations of near-instant delivery) to apply new technologies and methods that facilitate new opportunities. The new technologies in play present an array of new opportunities and challenges for workers in the industry. Entirely new business models are emerging that take advantage of advances in technology and cultural shifts around dining.
To stay ahead of the curve and the competition, food companies need a new recipe for success — one built on adopting new concepts to excel in new environments and building on existing knowledge of best practices. An appetite for adaptability is the key ingredient for thriving in the future of food.
To learn more, read “AI, Automation and Appetites: How Technology Will Feed the Future,” visit our Center for the Future of Work, or contact us.
