Welcome from the editor: the tech is now

Welcome and thank you for joining me this weekend.

AI is a hot topic at the moment. It’s not anything new, but the speed at which it’s progressing is increasing rapidly. Are we going to be replaced by machines, or are we going to use artificial intelligence in our favour? The answer of course lies in its application, how we are going to utilise it and for what purpose. Tech can make our life much easier, and it already has. We use it all the time. I’m using it right now to write this. But I shan’t lie, sometimes its applications, or rather, its potential future applications, concern me. Still, at this stage, I’d dare say it has a more positive impact on my life rather than a negative one. Of course my opinion could change next week, if I am replaced by StefBOT3000 using ChatGPT (oh dear, the clue is already in my name…I could be a modern day Stepford Wife Editor).

AI is being used in many areas of the F&B industry. So much so, that some foods we are eating and beverages we are drinking have been formulated using artificial intelligence, at least partially. And of course, many of us have saved time and avoided supermarket queues exactly thanks to technology. So will AI replace the workforce, or will it help us do our jobs? Find out in The robot takeover? How AI could change careers in the food and drink sector.

Talking of progress, just over a month ago I reported on cultivated meat produced by Upside Foods and GOOD Meat being approved for human consumption in the United States. Now, for the first time ever, a start-up working in the same sector has submitted a dossier hoping to get the green light much closer to our shores. Read about it in First-ever regulatory approval application for sale of cultivated meat in Europe made by Aleph Farms.

Tech is even used to get us to eat more roughage! But how are they doing it? Our feature Will fibre ever be fashionable? will tell you just that.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Stef