A national poll found Canadians are almost twice as likely to be wary than supportive of the use of artificial intelligence by food companies..The findings were released in a report issued this week by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, headed by director Sylvain Charlebois.."Trust is the essential ingredient for a successful recipe in the food industry's AI revolution. However, the report reveals a concerning disparity as the number of Canadians who don't trust food companies with AI is nearly double those who do,” said Charlebois..“Building trust through ethical practices and transparent use of AI will be vital to meet the evolving needs of consumers.”.In collaboration with Caddle, a national survey was conducted in May 2023 of 5,525 respondents. Here, 37.9% of respondents had never heard of AI being used in the food industry; 29% said they knew it was used, but not how; while 18.8% thought they also knew how..Only 16.3% thought AI in the food and restaurant industry had no downsides, while 35.4% were unsure. The remainder were concerned about jobs (26.5%) and privacy (21.8%)..Just three-in-10 (30.2%) felt comfortable shopping at a grocery store whose company used AI, while one-half (50.2%) were unsure..Almost one-quarter of Canadians (23.4%) support using AI for personalized recommendations for groceries or restaurant menu items. Others find it unnecessary (31.6%), a threat to privacy (16.5%) or are unsure (28.5%)..On what AI could offer, half of Canadians (47.7%) expect faster checkout times at the grocery store, 28.5% a more personalized experience, and 28% better food recommendations..Most Canadians (69.4%) wouldn’t want to pay a penny extra for food companies to use this technology, while 13.3% would be willing to pay more, depending on the product. Regardless, almost half of those polled (48.3%) believe AI will be used increasingly by the food industry in the future, while 36.8% weren’t sure..Two-in-five respondents (40.3%) distrusted food companies to use AI ethically in the future, while only 21.9% believe it is used ethically right now..Participants were asked whether they believed this growing trend could result in food supplies being exploited as weapons, thereby endangering consumers. Out of the respondents, 27% were concerned, 24.8% were not, and nearly half were unsure..Canada’s three most Western provinces led the country in distrust for AI in the food industry, with Saskatchewan (50.5%), BC (46.3%), and Alberta (45.7%) being the most distrustful, with the remainder showing trust or uncertainty. Trust was lowest in Saskatchewan at 11.7% and highest in Quebec at 25.6%..ProvinceTrust use of AI in food industryDon’t trust use of AI in food industrySaskatchewan11.7% (10)50.5% (1)Nova Scotia14.8% (9)37.1% (5)Prince Edward Island15.6% (8)24.0% (10)British Columbia15.9% (7)46.3% (2)Alberta20.5% (6)45.7% (3)Newfoundland and Labrador21.2% (5)25.8% (9)New Brunswick21.5% (4)37.0% (6)Manitoba22.0% (3)36.5% (7)Ontario23.5% (2)39.7% (4)Quebec25.6% (1)36.4% (8).When provided with information on the ethical use of AI by a grocery store or restaurant, 30.9% of respondents remained reluctant to use AI-based services, while 30.4% were favourably inclined..Janet Music, from the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, said AI has the ability to provide benefits she also believes are necessary..“Pressure will be on policy makers and companies to use AI to create more equitable labour practices and better service for consumers,” she stated.
