'Personalisation is key to driving great experiences': Food tech group DishQ talks AI and food innovation

The development of artificial intelligence solutions sits at the cutting edge of food tech. As an industry, the food sector is only just beginning to understand the potential that these developments offer.

DishQ describes itself as a food AI company that aims to understand people’s dietary preferences and predict their choices. This is achieved through a combination of machine learning models and food science.

The group sees a massive opportunity to provide personalisation technology to the online food sector, CEO and co-founder Kishan Vasani told FoodNavigator.

As DishQ works to grow its customer base, food tech companies that “get” the group’s vision of using AI to power personalisation represents the “low hanging fruit”, Vasani explained. With technological solutions making their mark on the restaurant sector, this too is proving fertile ground.

The opportunity extends well beyond this, Vasani believes. DishQ’s AI platform – and new solutions it is developing - could also revolutionise how CPG brands innovate, he suggested.

DishQ’s long-term strategy aims to break into the massive FMCG space, expanding the innovation tool-kit available to food manufacturers

“Today we have a recommendation engine, which is helping to create personalised recommendations for all kinds of platforms and restaurants. But our blockbuster product, the one we are really excited about is taste analytics programme,” he revealed. “We are launching our first CPG or FMCG-based product later this year.

“We want to help brands build products that are relevant for consumer tastes…. We are allowing FMCG companies to research at scale. AI allows companies to get data that they have never had before in larger volumes… AI can, at scale, offer more data on things like sensory testing."

The Beta for the taste analytics product will be ready for launch in about six months. It will take another three months of beta testing before DishQ will look to launch it as a live platform.