IFT to Host Free Webinar on Leveraging AI for Faster Product Development Cycles

CHICAGO – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is hosting a free webinar that will address how AI is transforming product development workflows and enhancing speed-to-result and production efficiencies at the R&D and formulation stages. Leveraging AI for Faster Product Development Cycles will help attendees tap into the benefits of using AI in product development cycles to discover new opportunities in early-stage development, as well as ways to optimize AI-driven insights to overcome technical challenges and customized formulations based on consumer data, said IFT.

The webinar, scheduled for Aug. 26, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. CDT, is sponsored by CoDeveloper, IFT’s proprietary AI-powered R&D platform. Built by IFT’s team of food scientists for food scientists, it harnesses the computing speed of AI to connect users to IFT’s 85-plus years of peer-reviewed research and published content while they’re developing products.

“Providing this cutting-edge education to the food system community is essential as we look to the future,” said Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO of IFT. “AI is quickly becoming a necessary tool to operate efficiently and accelerate innovation. IFT is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, and we are excited to help the community leverage AI tools, like CoDeveloper, to create a safer, smarter, and more sustainable food future.”

Webinar panelists include Mohamed Badaoui Najjar, Ph.D., R&D senior director of digital transformation and global specifications at PepsiCo; Michael Slater, technical director of consulting at Improving; and Jay Gilbert, Ph.D., director of scientific programs and product development at IFT.

Badaoui Najjar partners across PepsiCo beverages R&D, supply chain, operations and IT organizations to guide the design and delivery of the R&D tools of the future. He has 15 years of global industry experience, starting his career as a product developer.

Slater leads consulting teams at Improving, a technology management and consulting services firm. Over his career, he has held a variety of software development positions in business intelligence, video game development and coding bootcamps. 

A former IFT Student Association (IFTSA) member, Gilbert joined IFT in 2017, supporting Divisions, IFT’s topical, interest-based groups. Gilbert now leads IFT’s new product development program and is the product lead for CoDeveloper, unveiled last month at IFT FIRST, IFT’s annual food science, research and technology event. To learn more about the new tool, go to https://codeveloper.ift.org.

To learn more about the impact of AI on food and product development, register for the webinar here.