Unilever’s ice cream division announced Monday that it has partnered with artificial intelligence developer NotCo AI in an effort to accelerate both innovation and growth in the U.S. frozen dessert market.
The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which includes the Ben & Jerry’s, Breyer’s and Klondike brands, among others, plans to pilot-test NotCo’s AI platform to develop “new product formats and nutritional profiles.”
NotCo officials said in the statement that its end-to-end Giuseppe AI platform represents the first foundational model tailored to the consumer packaged goods industry, and that some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies have already deployed it.
The companies “remain open” to expanding to additional markets based on the results of the pilot project in the U.S.
“We believe AI will be a catalyst for unlocking the next generation of food innovation,” Magnum, Chief Research, Design and Innovation Officer Zbigniew Lewicki said in the announcement. “Partnering with NotCo allows us to explore how advanced AI tools can help us solve complex formulation challenges faster and more precisely, while keeping consumer needs at the heart of everything we do.”
"It's extraordinary that 10 years after we first envisioned AI transforming everything, we're now helping, among others, the world's largest ice cream company overcome their most complex growth and innovation challenge,” added NotCo co-founder and CEO Matias Muchnick.
