Ice-cream Alert: Incorporating ML and AI in Ice-cream Production

Analytics Insight explores how ML and AI are driving ice-cream production in a tech-driven world.

Ice cream is one of the most loved desserts across the world. There are so many popular brands known for yummy ice-cream production throughout the year with fresh ingredients. There is a need for massive ice-cream production for the high demand in specialized areas. Producing ice cream can take around 15 hours a day to set properly at an accurate temperature. The global ice cream market is expected to hit US$96.1 billion in 2026 with a CAGR of 7.5%. Disruptive technologies such as AI and ML with their algorithms are projected to transform the future of food and society through smart functionalities. The world is experiencing AI and ML in ice-creams through ice-cream robots. Let's explore how companies are incorporating ML and AI for ice-cream production efficiently and effectively.

Multiple companies have started taking initiatives by incorporating AI and ML algorithms for effective ice-cream production with different flavorsome ice-creams such as blueberry, choc chip cheesecake, sweetcorn, and many more. Common people and experts cannot differentiate between human-made and AI and ML-made in ice-creams. This is said to be one of the successful collaborations of humans and cutting-edge technology in the food and beverage industry.

The emergence of ice-cream robots tends to be a ground-breaking innovation for AI and ML algorithms with robotics. Robots are known for their useful activities in automating regular tasks and protecting human employees from risky environments. Multiple industries across the world are using robotics to boost productivity efficiently and effectively. Just like that, Robot Learning Lab from Cornell University is focused on bridging the communication gap between robots and humans with a project known as Tell Me, Dave. This demonstrated a robot successfully receiving an open-ended ice cream order in a short period of time and gave back that specific ice cream to the customer.

A KFC outlet in Xujiahui district in Shanghai, China has incorporated a robot arm to prepare ice-cream cones and AI to personalize the menu for better customer engagement while studying their tastes and preferences of ice-creams. Melbourne also leverages AI, ML,  algorithms to host the world's first retail robotics ice-cream store for its avid ice-cream lovers and effective ice-cream production. Tony, Eka, and Pepper are three different kinds of robots who serve 16 different delicious flavors of ice cream including salted caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, rocky road, rainbow, cookies and cream, and many more. In Japan, a well-known robot known as Yaskawa-Kun is focused on serving soft-serve ice cream for a few years and has created a huge demand for ice-cream robots in Singapore, Canada, China, and many other countries.

That being said, gradually it can be seen that AI and ML in ice-cream production have been incorporated by the food industry in recent years. Yes, there are concerns regarding human ice-cream makers and their job opportunities in this tech-driven world. But, ice-cream production will not stop till there is an existence of humans. Thus, incorporating AI and ML for ice-cream production through multiple ice-cream robots can meet the needs of avid ice-cream lovers.