Surfing the AI Wave

AI is advancing at a staggering pace, with capabilities evolving faster than most expected. In response, companies are racing to develop effective strategies, while individuals are seeking ways to stay relevant in an increasingly AI-driven world. 

For those in the global food system who fear being replaced by a robot or for whom the rapid change feels overwhelming, AI futurist Steve Brown proposes a mindset shift. “It’s important to stop resisting AI and start embracing it,” says Brown, a former executive at Google DeepMind and Intel. “With AI, there are successive waves of change, and we have to learn to surf each and every one of them.” 

Brown will headline July’s IFT FIRST: Annual Event and Expo with his keynote, “AI Now and Next: Getting Ready for the Future of AI.” In advance of his presentation, we sat down with him for a preview of what food professionals can expect as artificial intelligence transforms their work. In the meantime, he’s got some homework for you: “Set aside some time each week to invest in your AI literacy and AI skills,” Brown says. “Learn about this stuff and how to get the best results out of it.” Below is an edited version of the conversation. 

Don't resist AI. Learn it. Use it.

As someone who lives on the front lines of emerging tech, can you give us a snapshot of where AI stands today and where it’s heading next? 

AI is a very fast-moving field, as I’m sure everyone has realized by now. It’s been around and in use in business for the last 10 to 15 years—what you might call classic AI—doing things like demand prediction, machine vision, and recommendation engines. AI is behind your spam filter, sorting out the good from the bad emails. It’s been quietly enhancing business operations for years, but where it’s going next is when the new form of AI, known as generative AI, grows up and becomes applied in a business context. After that, several waves of innovation will follow. The ones I’m watching are agentic AI, spatial AI, and physical AI. 

Can you briefly explain those? 

Agentic AI is essentially smart software that behaves like a digital employee—able to take on complex tasks, break them down, and execute them using tools. It’s like creating a digital coworker to offload the tasks you don’t want to do. Spatial AI understands the physical world and helps us because of its understanding of physical space. When combined with robotics, it gives rise to physical AI: robots with spatial awareness that can safely work alongside humans. This is going to take off in the next two to three years. 

Which areas of the food industry will be most transformed by AI in the near term?

That’s a hard question because, historically, you could pinpoint where technology would land first. This time, AI is transforming everything—every role, every function. Whether you’re a CEO or a frontline worker, you’re going to be using AI to help you do your job better. There’s no escaping it. Everybody's going to be using AI.

What emerging AI breakthroughs could significantly impact how we grow, process, or distribute food on a global scale? 

I think the answer to that question is physical AI—specifically, humanoid robots entering the workforce. We’re facing a long-term labor shortage, especially in sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and construction, due to demographic trends and a lack of interest in physical labor. Humanoid robots are advancing faster than even their creators expected. Companies are developing machines capable of handling the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks humans prefer to avoid. These robots could soon play a key role in food production and distribution, working alongside humans to fill critical labor gaps.

Many people are worried about AI replacing their jobs. What advice would you give to food professionals who feel anxious about the future?

First off, acknowledge the fear. It’s natural. But recognize that fear is often fueled by fiction, not fact. The number one question I get at keynotes is some version of, “How do I stay robot-proof?” The answer is: double down on your humanity. AI can do many things, but it doesn’t replace emotional intelligence, critical thinking, persuasion, and communication. Those are the human skills that will set you apart. Also, don’t resist AI. Learn it. Use it. I tell people: You won’t be replaced by AI; you’ll be replaced by someone who knows how to use AI.

What are the biggest barriers companies face when trying to integrate AI into their operations?

Every client I work with is asking this question. The key is building a culture of curiosity—shifting from fear, often shaped by dystopian sci-fi, to excitement about AI’s possibilities. Leaders need to move beyond seeing AI as just a tool for efficiency and instead view it as a partner that can elevate human performance, creativity, and capability.

What should industry leaders and policymakers be thinking about now to responsibly harness AI and prepare for the disruptions and opportunities of the next decade? 

So, some important things to think about: You’re going to have a governance process in your business. How do you extend that process to incorporate AI? What’s the accountability for AI? How do you measure quality? How do you make sure that you are deploying it ethically? How do you assure privacy when you’re deploying AI in the workplace and when you’re perhaps using customer data? … The other thing is really thinking about ‘process orchestration.’ It’s a rather grand term, but what it means is looking at every one of your business processes, breaking it down into tasks, and then asking, given the capabilities of technology today, which of those tasks is best still done by a human, which is best now done by a digital employee—an agent—and which is best done by a robot? How do you gracefully coordinate those three working together and build trust across them? That’s the major challenge for every company on the planet. The ones that figure out how to do that well are the ones that are going to be the leaders of the future. 

Can you give us a sneak peek at what you’ll be presenting at IFT FIRST? 

I’ll walk people through the new waves of AI—agentic, spatial, and physical. I’ll explain how they differ, how they’ll affect your business, and how to use them effectively. I’ll even show videos of real robots in action, so people can see them. It looks like science fiction, but these are real robots doing real jobs—and it’s mind blowing. 

Steve Brown will deliver his keynote, “AI Now and Next: Getting Ready for the Future of AI," on Tuesday, July 15, at IFT FIRST in Chicago. Learn more about Brown’s presentation and check out these related, not-to-be-missed AI sessions at the event: 

• July 12 & 13: Exploring Artificial Intelligence for Next-Level Food Innovation [ticketed workshop]
• July 13: NextGen Food Safety: Bridging Farm to Table with Smart Tech Solutions [ticketed workshop]
• July 14: Leveraging Machine Learning Models to Detect Toxic Pesticides in Produce
• July 15: Navigating the FDA’s New Era of Food Safety: Tech, Traceability, and Transformation & How Does AI Enhance Food Science Innovation & Consumer Insights? 

Stay tuned for an extended version of this conversation with Steve Brown, airing June 9 on IFT’s Omnivore podcast. 

Are you coming to IFT FIRST? The event takes place July 13-16 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Don’t miss out—REGISTER NOW!