Melissa, an Innovation Programs Manager at Schreiber Foods, a major dairy company in Green Bay, Wisconsin, shares her insights on how AI in food innovation is transforming the way her team works. For Melissa, AI isn’t just a technological tool—it’s a catalyst that enhances human creativity, empathy, and decision-making.
AI Applications in Food Innovation
At Schreiber Foods, AI powers multiple aspects of innovation:
- Efficiency through rapid data synthesis: AI can summarize thousands of pages instantly, allowing employees to focus on strategic thinking and connecting with consumers on a deeper level.
- Pattern recognition for strategic decisions: AI can identify complex trends, including the influence of economics, weather, and animal health on factors such as milk quality, as well as consumer demand patterns. All of these variables have a complex and sometimes dramatic impact on forecasting and planning, and AI can help us understand the complex interactions more completely.
- Idea generation and creative problem-solving: AI overcomes the “blank page” challenge by suggesting solutions inspired by past innovations and global best practices, enabling the team to think bigger and more optimistically.
Humans Remain the Heart of AI
Melissa emphasizes that human wisdom is essential to interpret AI insights critically. While AI can provide recommendations, humans evaluate them for ethical, practical, and societal impact. For instance, even if AI suggests building a new plant, human insight ensures the decision aligns with long-term strategic goals.
This combination of AI and human judgment increases employee enthusiasm, freeing staff from mundane data analysis and empowering them to focus on creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.
Rethinking “Human at the Center of AI”
Melissa challenges the common phrase “human at the center of AI,” calling it pithy but lacking nuance. She believes AI should be seen as a partner that amplifies humanity, helping innovators leverage empathy, creativity, and judgment rather than just keeping humans “at the center.”
The Hatchery: Fueling Innovation at Schreiber
Melissa works through The Hatchery, Schreiber Horizon’s innovation services arm. The Hatchery helps corporate innovators ignite creativity through experiential sprints, coaching, and hands-on guidance, combining human insight with AI-powered insights to drive impactful food innovation.
Melissa challenges innovators working with AI to identify what parts of their humanity to protect, enhance, and pour their heart into. By balancing AI efficiency with human creativity and ethical judgment, companies can unlock innovation that truly serves people and society.
