Artificial intelligence is everywhere, even in our cookies. Mondelez, the behemoth behind the famous Oreo and Chips Ahoy, has just admitted to using AI to imagine the new flavors of its products. A revelation that leaves one perplexed: how can a machine incapable of tasting or smelling create flavors meant to delight our taste buds?
When AI plays the sorcerer’s apprentice in the kitchen
This greedy AI doesn’t come out of nowhere. Developed since 2019 in collaboration with consultant Fourkind, it has already left its mark on more than 70 of the group’s products. Among his “creations”, gluten-free Golden Oreo and a new version of Chips Ahoy. Far from being a simple chatbot like ChatGPT, this algorithm is inspired by the methods used by the pharmaceutical industry to discover new drugs.
Kevin Wallenstein, head of biscuit modeling at Mondelez, defends this choice with disconcerting seriousness. The AI juggles with parameters such as the intensity of the “burnt”, “eggy” or even “oily” taste, while adjusting factors such as “buttery taste” or “vanilla intensity”. A true digital conductor who composes without ever having tasted his score.
Tasty failures of AI
The beginnings were not without hiccups. AI, in its quest for optimization, has sometimes proposed recipes that are dubious to say the least. Wallenstein tells with amusement how the algorithm, Fascinated by the low cost of baking soda, suggested putting astronomical amounts in cookies. A rookie mistake that would have made any human pastry chef wince.
Faced with these algorithmic slippages, Mondelez had to put in place human safeguards. “Brand guardians” now monitor the AI’s proposals, while real-life testers evaluate each new creation. A task that can become a real torture, as Wallenstein confides: “ When I was working on the Sour Patch Kids (a particularly bitter candy Editor’s note), doing a tasting every day for a week was a nightmare. »
The food industry at a time of great digital upheaval
Joe Manton, R&D director at Mondelez, says the algorithm is based on historical recipe and ingredient data. The process doesn’t stop at the AI’s simple suggestion. Each new flavor goes through a battery of internal and external consumer tests. A necessary precaution which shows the limits of automation in an area as subjective as taste.
- Mondelez uses pharmaceutical-inspired AI to create new flavors
- The algorithm suffered spectacular failures before being supervised by human experts
- You probably already eat Oreos created by an AI
