The Adaptation of AI in the Food Industry

The food industry is a pretty broad expression that describes our everyday food on the table and local supermarkets, to restaurants, food factories, farmers, and general agriculture. All of these places are possibilities for AI to intervene for enhancement.

For example, AI interfaces that already exist for everyday assistance would be apps that provide healthy meal recipes catered to our needs or camera apps that can automatically calculate the calories on a plate. At industrial levels, factories and retail stores use AI to enhance productivity through inventory management and cashless payment systems.

In agriculture, there are farms that already use automated tractors to plow the land and drones programmed to automatically spray pesticides in specific areas when the cameras sense harmful pests.

Although the applications of AI are diverse, there are still challenges. If the AI malfunctions for whatever reason, in the end, it requires manual intervention from a human. There are still lots of improvements and testing that need to be done to rely upon completely automated systems.

The Possibilities of Robot Chefs

Are you aware of the “Moley Robotics Kitchen?’

It’s an automated kitchen robot that can cut, stir, boil, serve, and clean up afterward. This invention was made by a company called Moley Robotics that released its prototype in 2015 to provide an automated cooking service.

People were amazed when they first saw the two robotic arms artfully complete human tasks.

It downloads recipes from its own site and the user could pick different menus from various countries, cooking time, and calories. It’s a great idea in concept but has not been implemented yet due to challenges such as costs. Moley Robotics claims commercial use plans to happen in 2021.

It’s crazy that a robot can provide cooking services from scratch from whatever menu we like. AI robots can store and learn from their data, constantly improving their technique. In that sense, AI has a lot of potential in making our lives greater.

The Era of Robot Restaurants on the Rise

There are restaurants in the world that already implement automation by robots. In China, there is a robot-aided hotpot restaurant where robots roam the floor to serve while, an AI system assists to manage the kitchen, reception, and inventory for optimal productivity.

There are still real humans involved as they need to assure aspects of safety and maintenance. However, automation allows for the company to cut big costs. With the extra money, they can invest more into food materials, menu development, and service quality, which adds more value to the restaurant and increases customer satisfaction.

Another high interest among food AI developers is to “quantify taste.” This will allow an. objective perspective through data, and the collected data will help understand developers whether certain factors like age and sexual orientation matter in what we consider delicious. If taste could be understood through data, in turn, it will help us understand our own liking of food.

High Hopes for AI Future Tech in Food

AI already is part of our lives and has so much more potential to enhance our eating experience. Although it will still take time to completely rely on automation, over time, the technological developments will most likely allow us to rely on AI for nutrition and eating habit management. Accurate information obtained from AI deep learning will solidify the grounds enough for people to rely upon it.

An AI that can provide the best-customized menu according to a person’s health conditions, taste buds, and timing without any manual labor involved, will surely have a demand for busy health-conscious people.

We all desire safe delicious meals. It may not be that far into the future that we can rely on technology that assists this.

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Reference：

Izawa, H., & Yamanishi, R. (2018, June 5–8). How can we apply AI to a study of gastronomy? [Presentation]. The 32nd Annual Conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, Kagoshima, Japan. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjsai/JSAI2018/0/JSAI2018_2O3OS24b02/_pdf/-char/ja

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Increased AI Support for the Elderly

There are 3 main types of support that can be provided by artificial intelligence.

1. Medical and nursing care assistance
2. Living and lifestyle support
3. Communication support

Let’s look at each of these areas in detail below.

1. Medical and Nursing Care Assistance

In the fields of medical and nursing care, artificial intelligence is going to be of great assistance. Specifically, in solving the shortage of doctors as a result of the aging population. In addition, artificial intelligence is going to be able to perform detailed tasks and manage data more accurately and quickly than human hands. This will be very useful in the medical field, which deal with many complicated and enormous tasks.

In order for artificial intelligence to take root in the medical field, it is necessary to improve its functions and accuracy. The following are some areas in which artificial intelligence is expected to play an active role in medical care.

Diagnostic support
・At-home medical evaluations
・Sharing of biometric data
・Diagnostic imaging (skin, endoscopy, fundus, radiology imaging, etc.)

Cooperation between AI and specialist doctors
・Comprehensive diagnosis based on interview, physical examination, diagnostic imaging, and other examination findings.
・Prescription support (automated adjustment of dosage for renal function, analyzing drug interactions, etc.)
・Online medical treatment (patient and doctor, doctor and specialist, etc.)

Patient support
・Sharing requested information with parents in an easy-to-understand manner.

2. Living and Lifestyle Support

Nowadays, there are many devices with useful functions such as cleaning robots, electric wheelchairs, and self-driving cars. These technologies are utilized not only by the elderly but also by the general public. They are a necessity for some people who have difficulty in daily life on their own. These types of AI technology have the advantage of reducing the burden on the caregivers. In addition, they can assist in daily activities for those who require support. In other words, AI support can help both the caregivers and those who receive the care.

Moreover, many people who receive nursing care suffer from self-loathing, such as believing that they are a burden on others. For such individuals, AI support through robots could also help with regards to mental wellness and reducing anxiety.

In addition to the above, the systematization of once-manual activities, such as cashless payment and touch panels in restaurants, will help solve the labor shortage that results from an aging society. In order to actualize this, artificial intelligence needs to become more accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

3. Communication Support

Supporting communication is one of the most attractive features of artificial intelligence. There are many AI that can talk to people, such as “Alexa” and “Siri”. Both are AI assistants with a voice recognition system. Furthermore, they use natural language processing. This provides great support for people who have difficulty communicating, or even for those who feel lonely. There are also smartphone applications that claim to be artificially intelligent, making it possible for people to communicate with AI. The number of elderly people who suffer from loneliness is not small. Simply talking with someone can be expected to calm the mind and alleviate loneliness. This is just one of the ways in which the future of artificial intelligence could support the elderly population through communication.

Conversation is also good for your health because it uses your brain. The motor cortex in the frontal lobe activates when you talk, because you move your mouth and tongue. In addition, the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe activates when you use your ears to listen. The hippocampus, which is involved in memory, also becomes stimulated. Lastly, the prefrontal cortex is also activated by thinking while talking. In other words, conversation is a task that requires the brain to work at full speed. The further development of communication AI will be a great ally for the elderly, who may be prone to lack of communication.

Artificial Intelligence is Learning from Nursing Care Studies

One study observed caregiving practices across nursing care facilities in Japan. AI development received inspiration from the behavior of elderly residents in care facilities when they refuse to take baths. In general, when a resident does not want to take a bath, caregivers will consider this as a “refusal”. In these situations, the resident typically takes a bath on another day, or is forced to bathe.

At one facility, however, staff members make small talk with elderly people who do not want to take a bath. The caregivers hold casual conversations with the residents that are unrelated to bathing, observing the changes in gestures and facial expressions in the residents. This helps to ease the residents’ minds and calms them down. Once the resident is soothed, the caregiver will once again ask them to take a bath. More often than not, the resident will agree to the bath after this casual conversation.

AI development received hints from this study, through data conversion of information such as the caregiver’s tone of voice, eye contact, and other behaviors practiced while communicating with the residents. The accumulation of this information helps in the development of artificial intelligence that can effectively and compassionately communicate with the elderly population.

How is AI Different from a Robot?

As a side note, robots and AI are completely different things. A robot can perform a predetermined action in a precise and repetitive manner. They are not capable of learning and cannot make decisions on their own. This is because they cannot perform actions other than those that have been programmed.

Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, is able to learn and evolve like the human brain. For example, it can assist in nursing care, as described above, or learn to play games such as chess. This is possible through the simulation of hundreds and thousands of potential outcomes in the game. AI is capable of judging what the situation is and making the best move for the situation. As such, the future of AI is very exciting and the possibilities of application are practically endless.

Future Challenges for AI Development

In this way, artificial intelligence and other technologies can provide great support for the elderly in this aging society. The future of AI technology may provide endless possibilities in making our lives easier. However, we cannot deny that the technology it is still in its infancy.

While AI can perform fixed and routine tasks, they struggle with tasks that require a large amount of data collection. Moreover, they are not good at responding to what humans call “intuition” based on their past experience. As such, quantitative information is required to give accurate instructions. Research will continue to be conducted in areas where this is not possible.

It is no exaggeration to say that the development of technology will make people’s lives even more convenient. This does not only apply to the elderly. On the other hand, there are concerns that AI may take away human jobs. However, the likely truth is the future of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies will become indispensable elements to overcome the declining birthrate and aging population in today’s society.

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If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image: Unsplash
References:
Otake, M. (2016). AI for Prevention of Dementia and Assisting People with Dementia and Development of Support Services for Prevention of Dementia Co-created with Older Adults. Journal of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence 31(3), 363-370. doi: 10.11517/jjsai.31.3_363

Sakamoto, M. (2016). Special Issue on “Super-Aging Society and AI: Social Life Support”. Journal of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, 31(3), 324-325. doi: 10.11517/jjsai.31.3_324

Takayanagi, H. (2019). Expectation for AI (Artificial Intelligence) on Elderly Medical Care. Japanese Journal of Geriatrics, 56(3), 254-259. doi: 10.3143/geriatrics.56.254

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What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that focuses on a person’s cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and behaviors, to improve emotional regulation.

For example, when something occurs in our life, we make decisions and judgments based on our past experiences. The reactional thoughts we immediately have are called automated thoughts. These automated thoughts are usually grounded and rational. However, when people are under extreme stress or exhaustion, these thoughts distort negatively. This issue can be solved by focusing on these thoughts to understand what is realistic and not. The repeated process of this can create a balance within our mental thoughts.

Still, this is not an easy process. It requires a trained professionals’ guidance to provide the insight and perspectives needed. In reality, there are not enough professionals to handle the rising demands of mental health assistance that are required.

Therefore, online sessions are becoming a popular way to provide CBT for those in need to increase the number of patients that can be taken care of. The effects of online versus in-person sessions have been an interest of study for researchers.

Online CBT Sessions

Among the online CBT sessions, there is research particularly looking into how artificial intelligence (AI) might be helpful for facilitation.

A company divided their testers into 3 groups and tried CBT in the following different ways:

Group 1: An online CBT session with no other person involved. The user just answers questions and learns on their own without any feedback.

Group 2: The user receives advice through an AI capable of natural language processing. The AI will provide advice based on what the user has written and show empathy through the facial expressions of a woman that appears on the monitor. If the user is vague in their description, the AI asks to rewrite their answers.

Group 3: A control group where they do nothing.

What were the effects of these different methods?

The Surprising Effects of AI

Results showed that Group 1 had the best immediate short-term results for relieving depression, but many did not stick to the sessions after a while. On the other hand, Group 2 had better results in the long run with a significant reduction in severely depressed patients.

Why would Group 2 have a better long-term outcome when there was no immediate effect?

Feedback Creates Motivation

A survey asked why people quit their online CBT sessions and most answered, “I don’t understand what I’m doing” or “I want feedback.”

In Group 2, the natural language processing AI was able to empathize with their users and gave feedback that they needed to rewrite their answers if the content was weak. This kind of feedback is thought to be the reason why users felt the motivation to continue.

Online CBT Sessions Have Low Immediate Effect

There were low immediate improvements felt through online CBT sessions. Why is this? There are a few possible reasons:

• There were limits to the natural language processing and the AI was not able to empathize with the user sufficiently
• When users were asked to “rewrite,” it seemed like they were being corrected
• The correction to rewrite answers wasn’t necessarily the best way to understand feelings

Find A CBT Session Fit For You

There are still improvements to be made, but CBT through AI has big potential to significantly improve symptoms of depression. If the AI evolves enough to empathize and give better advice, many people can benefit from its use.

It’s not that far into the future that our online technology will become essential in meeting our individual mental needs.

References:

Mirai, S., Sekizawa, Y., & Takebayashi, Y. (2017, May 23–26). Can Artificial Intelligence Heal Human Hearts?：A randomized controlled trial on the effects of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with natural language processing on depression [Presentation]. The 31st Annual Conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, Aichi, Japan. https://www.ai-gakkai.or.jp/jsai2017/webprogram/2017/pdf/98.pdf

Cognitive behavioral therapy. (2016, September 8). National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279297/

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