AI advancements have changed the way people live. And since food is such a huge part of everyday life, that’s changed too. Delivery apps make getting whatever you want simpler than ever. The leading foodtech company in Latin America, iFood, is using new AI to make its expansion.
iFood is using an in-house AI developer to create new AI developments that will help it to keep up with its growth. In fact, iFood will be training all its employees next year to use this AI. The new technology is meant to boost the efficiency, safety, and happiness of iFood’s different partners and customers. This way it can meet the growing demand for its service in a personalized way while cutting costs. With all of these upgrades, iFood aims to deliver affordable food options to one billion people.
iFood’s growth
Over the years, iFood has been experiencing huge growth. By the end of September 2019, the company processed 21.5 million orders in Brazil. This shows how iFood has progressed overall, but this growth has also been quick.
iFood currently delivers food to 822 Brazilan cities and that number is up from 662 cities in July of this year. That’s an increase of 160 restaurants or 24 percent in about two month’s time. Over 100,000 restaurants are now partnered with iFood. Much of this growth has been powered by AI so it’s more important than ever for iFood to develop and train its employees to understand the new technology.
iFood has also just reached a new first. It has announced it’s the first foodtech company in Brazil to partner with Amazon. This partnership will allow users to order food through voice commands on Alexa. Commands like “Alexa, talk to iFood” or “Alexa, open iFood” in Portuguese allow people to begin and complete orders through Alexa devices.
AI Developments
iFood’s AI Academy is being led by chief data scientist Sandor Caetano. He’s been working in this field for years and has a history of working with big tech companies in Brazil. Caetano and his team are working with different businesses to develop the right kind of AI iFood needs to keep improving. For example, the team has been using data gathered from AIs to make sure enough deliverers are working at any given time and to know how long it takes for restaurants to have dishes ready for deliveries.
AI can also help users find the kind of food they’re looking for. Think of all the times food apps have suggested restaurants or food options to you. Think of when an app saves your favorite restaurants or dishes. This is all powered by AI that personalizes your experience. It also helps with dietary restrictions like for those who are vegan or vegetarian.
And of course, no technological advancements would be complete without robots. iFood has also partnered Synkar. According to its website, Synkar uses autonomous robots to make deliveries in less than an hour for less than one dollar. These self-driving robots are being designed specifically to transport food in at least part of the delivery process. They’re scheduled to be released in the second half of 2020.
