Will AI make us food illiterate?
AI could completely reshape the way we think about food. It might create custom foods and flavors based on personal preferences or even design self-sustaining food systems. Imagine tasting a dish made exactly the way your ancestors did in 1850. AI could also help create ethical food systems that address climate change more quickly than we can today.
But here's the big question: who will decide what’s good or bad for us when it comes to food and services? The food industry is heavily regulated, but public opinion is influencing organizations like Health Canada more than they let on. AI could give even more power to those who control the data, shaping our food choices and behavior. This leaves consumers at a disadvantage. With tactics like dynamic pricing and advanced marketing, it will become harder to tell what’s true or fair.
READ: How GenAI can reshape the way grocers do business
There are also ethical concerns about how AI could monitor what we eat. Food is tied to our culture, traditions, and personal preferences. Can AI really improve these deeply human aspects of life? It could end up shaping our food cravings, influencing what we like, and creating artificial trends, which might harm culinary traditions and cultural diversity.
Moreover, AI could widen the gap between the rich and the poor. Wealthier people could access better, AI-optimized diets, while poorer communities might be stuck with less nutritious options. This inequality already exists, but AI could make it worse.
While AI aims to make things more efficient, we need to ensure it doesn’t erode local autonomy or food identities. It’s crucial to involve everyone in discussions about how AI is used in food and agriculture, and to create regulations that prevent power from being concentrated in the hands of a few.