Kraft Heinz Pilots Ketchup-Focused Agent as Part of AI Ecosystem Initiative
The Kraft Heinz Co. has developed a proprietary AI agent that gives its workforce direct access to information about how its Heinz ketchup product is manufactured.
The digital tool, called The Cookbook, was created in partnership with Microsoft using Azure OpenAI as a way to preserve legacy innovation knowledge while investing in "disruptive, digital-first solutions" to drive efficiency and impact, according to Pat Nestor, the head of decision intelligence products and platforms.
The AI agent pulls from a central database that holds insights from Kraft Heinz subject matter experts, allowing employees to ask questions related to the development of the ketchup, including thickness and color of a batch or information about manufacturing efficiency.
"The Cookbook also leverages existing documentation and digital data systems, which has been critical in helping our team understand potential knowledge gaps as we continue to build out the database that informs the tool," Nestor tells CGT.
It's currently being piloted at a U.S. production site for the ketchup. While the company is still gathering feedback, it may expand The Cookbook into additional use cases across the enterprise.
Measuring ROI
For any tech it is testing, the company has a framework to ensure it will drive value for the business and user, says Nestor.
The team thinks about this in two ways:
Quantitative value for the business: Depending on the particular application or use case and where it sits in the ecosystem, this could be sales growth, yield optimization, addressing quality and process challenges, efficiencies, etc.
Qualitative value for people: Are they benefiting from the platform, and do they see value? This can be measured through NPS, engagement scores, etc.
"As we further deploy and scale The Cookbook, we will continue to monitor and measure value creation within our plants and facilities," he adds.
Kraft Heinz's AI Strategy
While it's not the first time the company has deployed an AI agent, this latest initiative is part of a long-term strategy to invest in integrated AI solutions that drive scalability and connectivity, instead of siloed deployments or disconnected applications, says Nestor.
"Looking ahead, Kraft Heinz aims to integrate The Cookbook into the company’s AI ecosystem, further building on existing capabilities and leveraging its proprietary internal AI assistant 'KHAI' as its foundation," says Nestor.
The connected ecosystem will evaluate applications of generative and agentic AI to unlock new efficiencies for its teams and the business, he adds.
As part of this, Kraft Heinz will continue to accelerate innovation with the help of key tech partnerships that can help augment efforts. With Microsoft, for example, the company was able to take The Cookbook from idea to prototype in less than three months.
