![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.ciodive.com\/static\/img\/play.svg?500116090725\")
\n Listen to the article
\n 4 min<\/p>\n
\n Listen to the article
\n 4 min<\/p>\n
This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dive Brief:<\/p>\n Kraft Heinz is piloting an AI agent to help employees better access information about the company\u2019s ketchup production process, with plans for more use cases down the line.\u00a0 Dive Insight:<\/p>\n Kraft Heinz is adding an agent to its AI portfolio in pursuit of efficiency and knowledge preservation. Prior to The Cookbook, the company launched TasteMaker, which was designed to accelerate product development and marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the first AI agent to be deployed at Kraft Heinz,\u201d Pat Nestor, head of decision intelligence products and platforms, said in an email to CIO Dive. \u201cWe continue to explore integrated AI solutions that can drive scalability and connectivity across the organization, unlocking further value for the business, our people and consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n The new tool comes after the global food and beverage giant has honed its innovation funnel, driven in part by efforts to identify the right use cases and formulate business value assessments<\/a> to track success.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nestor told CIO Dive earlier this year that the company works to pressure test use cases upfront and monitors AI projects using a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics. The process helps ensure allocated resources are going to the right use cases and avoid dead-end projects that are plaguing businesses across the economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year, 42% of companies are abandoning the majority of their AI projects<\/a>, up from 17% in 2024, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence report published in March. CIOs and their enterprises often grapple with connecting use cases to business goals, sifting through vendor hype and failing to prioritize responsible practices, among other implementation challenges<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kraft Heinz executives have touted a number of beneficial, worker-facing AI use cases, such as within the pickle-producing process<\/a> and across its supply chain<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe aim to use key learnings and insights from The Cookbook pilot to scale to other brands, products, and Kraft Heinz businesses, and we are currently in the process of exploring additional use cases for the technology,\u201d Nestor said Tuesday. \u201cWe know it\u2019s essential that we preserve and protect our subject matter experts\u2019 knowledge and commitment to quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the AI inroads, significant changes lie ahead for Kraft Heinz.\u00a0<\/p>\n The food and beverage giant is planning to reverse<\/a> much of its $46 billion merger from 2015 and split into two companies, with one focusing on sauces, spreads and seasonings, and another housing grocery staples, such as Lunchables and Oscar Mayer. Splits and mergers often include technology hurdles<\/a>, from migrating workloads to untangling tech debt.<\/p>\n The company has run up against many of the same challenges<\/a> that others in the industry face, including changing consumer patterns and a challenging macroeconomic environment. In general, the focus on technology has sharpened in the wake of the turmoil<\/a> as businesses pursue ways to alleviate pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThe tool, called The Cookbook, went from idea to prototype in fewer than three months, the company told CIO Dive. It was created in partnership with Microsoft and built using Azure OpenAI. Workers have access to 150 years of Kraft Heinz expertise in ketchup production.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\u201cWith the stroke of a keyboard or tap on a tablet, users will be able to ask The Cookbook questions on everything from the thickness and color of a batch of Heinz Tomato Ketchup to insights about the efficiency of our production processes,\u201d the company said. The Cookbook is still in the early stages, with just a select group of U.S. team members having access. The company declined to say how many. <\/p>\n