Ethics of AI & Nutrition

There’s a lot of discussion these days around #AI and what it means to every industry and business. During last week’s Organic & Natural Health Association conference, there was discussion about the critical human element related to AI. Rick Polito , in his State of the Industry market research presentation, offered a fascinating chart about the opportunities for AI in the industry – whether product development, claims substantiation or marketing support. However, when he asked for the data and substantiation for the chart, the Bot apologized that it was just a placeholder chart and didn’t contain actual data. Further insight came from Ryan Sensenbrenner , talking AI and Amazon—specifically diving into the issue of developing content that resonates with industry and consumers. While ChatGPT may get a company part of the way there, can it truly capture the emotional story and value that differentiates great organizations?

AI is already being put to use within the industry on the product development side of things. NutrifyGenie launched last summer, with a deep database of intelligence on science and research around ingredients, with the goal of accelerating GTM for forward-thinking companies. Amit Srivastava has positioned the tool around #responsiblenutrition and focuses on developing ethical products. Path Forward Formulator? , released to market at SupplySide West 2023 by Shane Durkee , also makes use of technology to simplify formulation and cost control, with the ability for suppliers and manufacturers to connect online. That’s before getting into a discussion of the companies such as Brightseed and Nuritas that are tapping into the power of AI to identify and bring to market new ingredients.

From the consumer perspective, the number of AI-powered nutrition apps is growing incrementally. Often used for meal planning and food tracking, these apps can support consumers in making healthier choices, following select diet patterns, and enhance the integration of nutrition choices along with physical fitness. Certain apps use algorithms that can help consumers with certain health issues (i.e., diabetes) track both diet and biomarkers to improve adherence to recommended lifestyle interventions. Whether these can be effectively used for the long-term, and whether consumers are using them in parallel with support of health care or nutrition practitioners is yet to be determined.

This brings us to a great new whitepaper, The Ethics of AI at the Intersection of Nutrition & Behaviour Change, from Mariette Abrahams PhD MBA Qina . Tremendously thoughtful in its approach and challenging for industry, it’s a timely piece because, as Mariette notes in her forward, ‘The time has come to ensure that our generation paves the way for an equitable, sustainable, and data-informed preventative future.’ I couldn’t agree more, as the promise of using data to personalize our approach to wellbeing and health must be available to all, not only to those with easy access and funds.

Qina’s framework to develop ethical and trustworthy AI is divided into seven pillars, and requires collaboration across multiple disciplines and stakeholders. Exploring each of the pillars will be a useful exercise to support business development; however, I particularly appreciated the focus on the human element. Whether looking at how to make our solutions more inclusive and equitable, or ensuring that they are affordable and accessible, this speaks to the basic concepts that underpin the health and wellness industry. That consumers have a right to optimal health, and our industry has the opportunity—and even an obligation—to deliver those products in a way that is transparent, sustainable and ethical. Further, there is an emphasis on the importance of human agency and oversight in applying AI to personalized nutrition, not only for systems or product development, but keeping it under expert guidance for further development.

If you haven’t yet downloaded the whitepaper, which was written by Maria Raimundo I encourage you to do so. And then, reach out as I’d love to have a further discussion with you about the application of AI in every aspect of our food and nutraceutical industry.