IFT FIRST 2026 to Focus on AI's Role in Food Product Development
The Institute of Food Technologists will host its annual conference July 12-15 in Chicago with extensive programming on how artificial intelligence is changing food innovation, product development, and R&D.
The event comes as food companies increasingly adopt AI tools to accelerate formula development and address technical problems. Jay Gilbert, director of CoDeveloper-an AI platform built by IFT that combines machine learning with 85 years of peer-reviewed food science research-said the advantage goes to teams that use AI to amplify human expertise rather than replace it.
"AI can speed formulation, strengthen quality and consistency with predictive tools, and turn consumer signals into better decisions, but only when it's built on trusted data, validated by humans, and guided by strong governance," Gilbert said.
What Product Developers Will See
The keynote address on July 15 will feature Alon Chen, CEO of Tastewise, discussing how AI converts consumer data into product decisions. Other sessions target specific challenges: one panel will examine how to balance AI tools with human expertise in innovation, while another covers using AI for food safety and regulatory decisions.
A hands-on workshop on July 15 will walk developers through applying AI to product innovation. A separate guided tour on July 14 will show exhibitors using AI for formulation design, predictive modeling, and process optimization.
Full Session Schedule
- Sunday, July 12: "Foundations of AI in Product Development" (1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
- Monday, July 13: "Designing AI Workforce Literacy for Food Systems" (11:00 a.m. - 11:20 a.m.) and "From Artificial to Affective Intelligence: Teaching Technology to Taste Emotion" (2:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.)
- Tuesday, July 14: "How Are Emerging AI Tools Transforming Food Innovation End-to-End" (10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.), "The Energy Edge: Leveraging IoT-Driven AI to Power Energy Efficiency in Food Production" (12:00 p.m. - 12:20 p.m.), and "Artificial Intelligence in Food Science and Nutrition" (1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.)
- Wednesday, July 15: "Product Innovation in the Age of AI" workshop (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.), "Assessing AI Tools for High-Risk Food Safety and Regulatory Decision" (11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.), and "How Do We Balance AI and Human Expertise in Food Innovation?" (1:10 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.)
For product developers looking to understand how AI for Product Development works in practice, the conference offers direct access to companies already using these tools. AI Research Courses can provide foundational knowledge before attending.
IFT members receive discounted pricing on both the conference and CoDeveloper access. More information is available at ift.org/ift-first-event.
Your membership also unlocks:
